Zombies Nou Drein Jus Daun
by Chels17
Summary: It's not until the fierce blonde fighter named Elyza Lex enters her life that Alicia starts to remember a past one. Can they keep ignoring their feelings when they find the ruins of a long-forgotten city only they remember as a place called Polis? The most powerful weapon may be the only way to survive in this world, and luckily it's one they're rediscovering. FTWD-Lexark. COMPLETE
1. A Damn Good Shot for a Girl

_Author's note: I love this fandom SO FREAKING MUCH. I mean, seriously guys, who creates a character like Elyza Lex to help deal with canon grief and within days transforms it into something viral? I love you all. Virtual hugs for the whole Clexa/Lexark fandom. And I know, I know, you might be saying, but Chels17 you already have multiple unfinished fics... To which I would say, don't worry, I fully intend on finishing them all! But how could I not jump on this bandwagon? I seriously tried to NOT think about creating a story for Elyza Lex, but... but... then I did. And I'm not even sorry. I already love this so much. Plus, I quickly realized how the story is going to end, and in a frenzy actually wrote the entire outline for it after I had just barely started writing this first chapter. Now I have goosebumps because it's officially my headcanon, and I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy it, so stick with me here and hold on tight! PS - I know the title is ridiculous... but I absolutely love it, and I'm betting you'll remember it. ;) Because when Clexa/Lexark is around, zombies must not have blood!_

* * *

"Great. This is just great," Alicia stated, sarcasm dripping from every word. She was with Nick, Chris, Travis, and Daniel out looking for supplies when they saw them - a whole horde of the undead now heading in their direction.

"Where the hell did they all come from?" Chris cried out in disbelief.

"The question you should be asking, boy, is how are we going to get out of this mess," Daniel retorted.

"Right," Travis agreed. The two alpha males always took control of these situations. "There are only about twenty of them, and we move a helluva lot faster, so let's be smart and we can take them. That's about four for each of us."

He looked to his girlfriend's daughter. "Can you handle that, Alicia?"

She glowered at the oncoming mass of undead flesh. "Yes. The nausea left me two weeks ago." She gripped her baseball bat even tighter. "Let's send these walkers where they belong."

"Alright, Alicia!" Nick was impressed with his sister. "Chris, how does it make you feel to know a girl's got more balls than you?"

"Shut up, idiot."

"Both of you shut up," Daniel added.

The five of them held their line and braced themselves for the impending attack.

Ten seconds. Nine, eight, seven, six...

That's when the first bullets started to fly, but they came from behind the undead. A lone figure out in the distance was laying waste to the walkers in front of them. One solitary, deadly bullet embedded in each skull with necessary perfect aim, since if the shooter missed, they could have all been shot instead.

"Holy shit," Alicia said, voicing the collective thought of everyone in the group.

Already more than a dozen zombies were dead by the time the rest hit the group, leaving them each only one or two to take out, which they did with little difficulty. Alicia automatically rolled her bat in the grass to clean it off as she watched the horizon for the shooter to approach them.

Daniel whispered to the group, "Don't let your guard down just yet. We can't trust him before he talks."

Nick laughed out of surprise. "Pretty sure that 'he' is actually a 'she'." He snickered again as everyone squinted in the sunlight to get a better look, and sure enough, he was right.

Weapons were still at the ready as the young, blonde woman approached with her hands held up for them to see.

"Hey, there, I'm not here to take down anyone but these fellas," she said as she nudged a partially crushed zombie skull with her foot.

Alicia eyed the girl cautiously. She was definitely intrigued by the stranger, but not willing to make any judgment on her just yet.

"You're a pretty damn good shot," Travis commented, clearly impressed.

She smirked. "...for a girl?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant," Travis protested in vain while Nick and Chris snickered behind him.

She laughed. "It's okay. I've gotten that a lot in the last few months. At least, from the few living people I've come across."

"Have you been following us?" Alicia asked bluntly.

That caught the girl off guard. "Well, uh, yeah, actually. I've been watching you since you first got to the area on a freaking plane. Who the hell still has a plane to fly? Didn't you realize you'd be surrounded by walkers as soon as you landed?"

Travis answered. "Our friend - a man in our group - it's his plane. We were on his boat for some time in the Pacific before he decided he wanted to use it to fly to the other side of the country and see what it was like. We hoped that maybe, just maybe things wouldn't be screwed up over here. Not yet." He shrugged. "It was worth the shot."

The blonde just nodded as she took in all this information.

"Well, this is certainly a disappointment for you then," she said dryly. "Sorry about that. Welcome to what used to be New D.C."

Nick swept his gaze over the surrounding devastation. "We seriously have bad luck. Can you imagine if a third D.C. is ever built?" He laughed. "That would be pretty impressive."

Travis nodded. "Humans have proven to be a resilient species. If we could survive after The Bombing, we can survive this."

Alicia scoffed. "Seriously? Have any of you had a U.S. history class? This is so completely different. Yes, The Bombing left earth as a desolate wasteland and it was miraculous anyone survived, but they didn't exactly have masses of the undead coming after them either... Creatures who have no conscience and no drive other than eating the flesh and brains of living people, reducing our 'resilient species' to absolute monsters." She lowered her voice, adding gravity to her words as she looked at the weapon in her hands, which moments ago was plastered with human remains. "And those of us who don't succumb to the sickness have to become monsters as well."

"Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster... for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you."

All heads snapped back to the blonde when she spoke; they had momentarily forgotten about her during their history lecture.

"Exactly," Alicia said, head slightly tilted as she really took in the girl in front of her for the first time. "You know Friedrich Nietzsche."

The girl smirked and nodded. "Don't act so surprised. First, Mr. Brooding over there doubts me, and now you too."

Alicia suddenly felt a burning sensation forming somewhere near her stomach. She couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, but she felt it radiating through her body until she felt tingly all over and let out a slight shudder. She was a little embarrassed at getting called out like that, but being embarrassed had never felt quite like this before.

She quickly resumed her stoic expression. "I didn't mean to offend you... Hey, what is your name, anyway?"

The blonde girl gave a genuine smile and stepped forward so she was only a few feet in front of their group.

"I'm Elyza. Elyza Lex." She frowned when she saw Travis and Chris wince. "What's wrong?" she asked defensively.

Travis spoke up, "I'm sorry. It's just that... We lost his mom, my ex-wife, just a few weeks ago. Her name was Liza. The wound's still fresh, ya know?"

Elyza nodded and looked him in the eye. "I'm very sorry. I know how you feel. I started out with a group too." She shrugged. "I'm the only one left."

"You can stay with us!" Chris offered a little too eagerly.

Daniel shushed him. "We hardly know her and certainly don't know if she would even want to join us."

"I'm pretty easy to get to know. Open book." She gave a faint, but genuine smile. "And if you don't mind a badass fighter joining the ranks, I'm in."

Travis grinned. "Well, if you don't mind me being 'Mr. Brooding' every now and then, we'd be happy to have you. Wouldn't we, Daniel?"

Daniel frowned, but nodded his head. "I hope you're as good at finding food as you are at fighting."

Elyza just smiled, figuring that was going to be about as warm of a welcome as she could expect from the surly man. He seemed like he did have a good heart, though, underneath the gruff facade.

Travis cleared his throat. "Okay, let's move guys. We don't want to be out here in the open for too long. Remember, our objective here is finding anything that could be of use to us: food, water, weapons, matches, tools, blankets, flashlights... anything like that. Now with Elyza we have an even number, so let's pair off into three groups to cover more ground. Elyza, let's have you go with Alicia. Chris, you're with me. And Nick, go with Daniel. Just be sure to stay within hearing range."

Alicia wasn't quite sure how she felt about getting paired up with the new girl. She was somehow excited and yet also nervous about having to make small talk with her. Alicia wasn't one to really socialize with people. Plus, it was just easier for her to not show any emotion at all.

Elyza smiled as she walked up to her. "Alright, partner. Where to?"

Alicia shrugged. "I don't know. This seems to be more your forte than mine. You know this area better."

"Fair enough. I just didn't want to intrude on the family excursion."

Alicia rolled her eyes. "We're hardly a family. More of a ragtag team of barely-survivors, some of whom happen to share DNA."

Elyza raised a questioning eyebrow and smirked. "You guys are that close, huh?"

"Oh, shut up. You don't know anything about us."

"Then help me know, little Miss Blasé. If I'm gonna stick around, I might as well learn about you guys."

Alicia side-eyed her incredulously as they started to walk. "Little Miss Blasé? Really? What's with you and giving people stupid nicknames?"

Elyza smirked, determined to crack this girl eventually. "Admit it. You're impressed I know the word 'blasé'."

"Knowing a five-letter word is hardly a remarkable achievement."

Damn. This girl was harsh. And moody. And Elyza loved it. What fun was life without a little challenge? Sure, being in the middle of a zombie apocalypse was challenge enough, but this one was going to be a little more enjoyable.

"Why are you smirking? Stop smirking. You think I'm funny, do you?"

Elyza stifled a laugh. "Yes, actually. You're so stiff. Lighten up!"

"Lighten up? Really? Look around you, Elyza. What is there to feel light about?"

"How about the fact that you're alive?"

"Sometimes I'd rather be dead."

"I don't believe that. In this world if you'd rather be dead then you would be. I think there are probably a lot of dead and undead people who would rather be alive, don't you think?"

Alicia dropped her head. "You're right," she admitted with a sigh. "I don't mean to be so negative. It's just that... I don't know. Obviously I want to live, but I don't know what to live for. Not anymore. I mean, life should be about more than just surviving," she commented thoughtfully. "Don't we deserve better than that?"

"Yes, we do," Elyza responded sincerely.

The girls looked at each other as a strange familiarity was settling between them.

"What is it?" Elyza questioned carefully.

Alicia looked down, eyebrows furrowed as she tried to mentally reach for whatever was just beyond her grasp.

"I don't know. It's probably weird, but it was almost a déjà vu kind of feeling, I guess. Like, I feel like I've heard or said that before, but I don't remember when."

She looked up hesitantly, hoping her new ally wouldn't think she was crazy. Instead her eyes met another pair of furrowed eyebrows; she was equally deep in thought.

"No, not weird. I was thinking the same thing. Maybe from a movie?"

Alicia frowned. "I don't think so. It felt more real." She quickly shook her head in an attempt to get rid of the odd feeling. "Anyway, let's focus and try to find something useful."

Elyza nodded in agreement, but couldn't as easily forget what she had felt, even if she couldn't explain it. This girl had made her experience a lot of new feelings in just the last twenty minutes. Elyza smiled to herself, wondering what other new things this potential friendship could bring.

* * *

 _Author's note: Yes, The Bombing they're referring to is the nuclear war in the world we love that is The 100. I've taken some artistic liberties in launching this timeline of FTWD about 150-200 years after The 100. So TonDC was the second iteration of Washington, D.C., and the New D.C. of this story was the third. TonDC probably didn't make it into Alicia's history books since the Grounders didn't have a written language to keep that kind of record, and that's why Nick was saying that building a third capital city (instead of a fourth) would be quite impressive. And yes, that Friedrich Nietzsche quote is where The 100 2x07 title comes from, which coincidentally is the episode where Clarke and Lexa first meet. :)_


	2. I Do Trust You

"Ha! Look at these metal scraps! These will make some damn good shivs. We can even latch them onto long sticks or poles to make spears!"

Alicia grinned as she watched Elyza get all animated over the junk they were sorting through.

Elyza turned when she didn't hear a response and caught her staring.

Alicia giggled. "What? Were you expecting applause?"

The blonde shook her head in amused disbelief. "You're insufferable, you know that?"

Alicia just shrugged with a smirk. She enjoyed teasing her scavenging companion; it was all too easy to get a rise out of her.

"So make me a spear," she challenged.

"Alright. I will." Elyza scurried about looking for just the right materials while Alicia continued looking for supplies. She was pretty sure they were rummaging through the wreckage of what had probably been a normal convenience store a few months ago, but since then had been through at least one fire and likely the pillaging of others before them. So far she'd found two working lighters, but that was it.

Several minutes later Alicia whipped around at the sound of a triumphant cry. She laughed as Elyza ran up and knelt before her, presenting her gift.

"Here you are, Commander, as promised."

Alicia reached out for the weapon but hesitated. "Why did you call me that?"

Elyza glanced up, unsure of how this tension had come on so suddenly. "I dunno," she shrugged. "I don't always have a specific reason for each word I say. Just seemed fitting for the moment."

Alicia shook her head, the same as she had the last time she had a funky déjà vu moment like this. "Right. I'm sorry. God, I can be so weird sometimes."

Elyza chuckled, and the tension dissipated. Alicia took the spear in her hand and admired her friend's handiwork.

"This is pretty sick," Alicia observed with a grin. "But what the hell am I supposed to do with it?"

"What do you mean? You throw the damn thing! And as with all good things in life, it's all about follow through."

Alicia raised an eyebrow, unsure if she was just talking about spear throwing anymore, and Elyza laughed. "C'mon, stiff," she urged. "I'll find you a target so you can practice."

Alicia moved the spear around in her hands, getting used to the weight of it and feeling a strange sense of ease with the weapon, though she'd never touched a spear before.

"Ready!" Elyza called out, and Alicia turned to find her putting the finishing touches on her makeshift target. She had found two metal poles that were both about ten feet tall, although they were a bit dented and crooked. She ran a shiny, metallic looking object between the tops of the poles so it looked like a banner and she stuck them into the ground.

"If those trees there weren't so far out of hearing range from the rest of the group, I'd have you practice on them instead, but for now this will have to do."

Alicia laughed. "Look at you! What is it between the poles?"

"Aluminum foil!"

"What? How in the world did you find aluminum foil in all this debris?"

"Well, it's metal. Doesn't burn as well as other stuff. Didn't you ever go camping and make foil dinners? Ya know - wrap up your potato and stick it in the fire to cook?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Alicia said, laughing again. "You're a genius!"

"Thank you, thank you very much." Elyza gave a low, dramatic bow and her best Elvis impersonation, which wasn't too difficult with her deep voice.

Alicia smiled and held up the spear in her hand. "So... How do I do this?"

"Well, you want to find the balance point first." Elyza reached for the spear and Alicia relinquished it. "Like this."

Alicia watched carefully as Elyza shifted the spear ever so slightly along her hand until it balanced perfectly about two-thirds of the way towards the point.

"There," she stated with a smile. "That's where I want to grip it when I throw. But before you release, hold it parallel to the ground and up by your ear, like this, so you can align your sight with the tip and aim."

Alicia nodded, indicating she was following along.

"Then your stance. Are you right-handed?"

She nodded again.

"Okay, I'm going to think of how to do this in reverse then," Elyza chuckled.

"Ah, so you're a southpaw?"

"Sure am! Now let's start here so you're about twenty yards away from the target. Alright, so whichever hand you throw with, the opposite foot will be planted in front before you throw. So for you, your left foot. Position your body slightly sideways - not facing the target straight on. That way you can turn as you throw and use the torque to give you some extra force. The real power comes from speed, not strength. Then finish with the follow through. Let the movement of your hand, wrist, arm, shoulder, and whole body become one fluid motion. Like this."

Elyza went through all the steps she had demonstrated without actually releasing the spear. "Got it?"

"Only one way to find out!"

"That's the spirit!" Elyza laughed as she returned the weapon to its new owner.

Alicia took the spear and just stared at it awkwardly for a moment before shooting a pleading glance at her friend. "Remind me what's first?"

Elyza laughed. "Find the balance point."

"Oh, right!" Alicia played with the placement in her right hand for a few moments until she found the sweet spot, and when she did, it just felt so right. The weight of it was perfect, and she had little trouble imagining the weapon as an actual extension of her limb.

"And finally," Elyza chimed in again, "really imagine this is your enemy - the creatures that uprooted your life and everything you knew. Dig down; find that aggression in you and let it go."

Alicia nodded, her instinct taking over from there. Imagining all that was not so difficult. She even spun the spear between her hands several times, taking on an expression of focus and ferocity Elyza had never seen on her before. She took two steps, planted her left foot with the spear held to her ear, and let out a great kiai as she released her weapon.

Elyza's jaw dropped as she watched the spear streak through the air and absolutely annihilate the thin sheet of metal.

They both stared dumbstruck where the foil used to be, then turned to each other. Now Alicia's mouth was agape as she snapped out of a kind of trance and Elyza let out a long, appreciative whistle.

"Damn, girl! I should be taking lessons from you! Grounders don't stand a chance against you!"

"Wait, _Grounders?_ What do you mean?"

"Uh, walkers, that's what I meant. That's weird. But anyway, what do you have to say for yourself? That was amazing!"

Alicia laughed and shook her head incredulously. "I have absolutely no idea. That was weird, but it just felt really natural."

"You even let out a kiai like a freaking pro. Did you take martial arts? Are you, like, a secret black belt or something?"

"No, not at all, I swear! And... What in the world is a 'kiai'?"

"You know, it's that grunt or yell people let out when they're doing karate or something like that."

"Oh, gotcha," Alicia said, laughing again. "I didn't realize there was an actual name for the sound.

"Hold up. I knew something _you_ didn't know? Can I get that in writing?"

"Oh, shut up!" Alicia moved to punch her arm, but Elyza deftly parried the attack, grabbed her wrists, and had her arms locked around her so she was totally immobile. Alicia struggled for a few moments before realizing it was futile, so she relaxed her muscles and sank back into the strong woman behind her.

"Now that was impressive," she admitted. "How did you do that?"

"Sorry, only one lesson for today, young grasshopper. I can't have you learning all my tricks at once."

Alicia laughed, feeling the smirk coming from behind her even though she couldn't see it. "Fine, but you can let me go now."

"Um, afraid I can't."

"Oh, really? And why's that?" She started struggling against her captor again, only to find the vice-like grip tightened even more.

"Think of me as your very own, personal, life-sized Chinese finger trap."

"Oh, good Lord..."

"The more you try to pull away, the tighter my hold. It's not until you completely relax and let go of the fight that you can be free."

Elyza had whispered that right into her ear, and Alicia felt a completely involuntary shudder ripple through her body.

Elyza felt it too - it would have been hard not to notice every movement of the other girl's body since there was hardly a modicum of space between them, and Elyza realized she couldn't remember the last time she was this physically close to another living human being.

"Elyza," Alicia's voice was at ease and barely audible, and Elyza instantly loved hearing her name spoken like that.

"Hmm?"

"I think I'm completely relaxed now."

"Good," she whispered back. "I think it's been a long time since you were."

Elyza reluctantly released her hold and Alicia reluctantly stepped away. She turned to face the other girl, eyebrows knit together in contemplation as she finally asked the question she'd been pondering since she had first really taken a good look at her.

"Elyza, have we met before?"

The blonde shrugged. "I don't know how we would have, but who knows? What if we bumped into each other in an airport once, or struck up a random conversation when we happened to be at the same concert?" She laughed at her own suggestions.

Alicia smiled and shook her head. "I don't think so. No matter how random the conversation would have been, I think I'd remember you."

All Elyza could do was nod. How had she not realized before how beautiful this girl was?

Alicia continued, "I'm not normally like this with other people. I never am, actually, let alone with someone I've just met. You saw how snarky and petulant I can be, but I just feel comfortable with you, though I have nearly no past experience to draw on that would give me reason to even trust you at all. And yet... I do trust you."

Elyza gasped as an image suddenly flooded her mind. A fragment that somehow felt more real and yet more distant than a dream. She was in a tent, the daylight outside fading, and across from her was... Alicia? But she was different... Those words were the trigger. _I do trust you, Clarke..._

"Hey, Elyza, are you okay? What is it?"

She snapped back to reality - this was reality, right? - when she heard Alicia's voice again and felt her giving her shoulders a gentle shake. Elyza looked around confused but then met her worried gaze.

"Whoa." Elyza felt her legs wobbling beneath her, so she lowered herself to the ground before she could fall.

"Whoa is right." Alicia joined her, crossing her legs and keeping her gaze intent upon the other girl. "What happened to you there?"

"Did it last very long?"

Alicia looked concerned. "No... But you definitely checked out for a few seconds. What happened? Is this a normal thing for you?"

Elyza let out a nervous laugh. "No, definitely not. It was the weirdest thing..."

"Looked like you had a major déjà vu moment there."

She nodded. "Yeah, but... I mean, it really felt like a memory. It wasn't just the sense that I had previously experienced that moment... I saw it."

"What moment?"

"It was what you said; that's what set it off. When you said, 'I do trust you.' Then my mind just whooshed to this other scene that played out in my head like a dream, but I was actually there. And you were there, so it couldn't have been a memory, right?"

"Right..." Alicia agreed, trying to wrap her head around what the blonde was trying to describe.

"So you were there, standing across from me like you are now, but you looked totally different. You were dressed like... like I don't even know what. Some kind of warrior getup."

Alicia's eyes widened as she continued.

"Oh, and you had on this crazy face paint. And we were in a tent. It was kind of dark but there was still light coming in from outside. I could feel that I was tired and a bit surprised, I think, with whatever was going on. But then you said those same words. 'I do trust you.' You looked so earnest, like you hadn't trusted me before, I guess, so you were trying to show me you were sincere..." She trailed off, unsure if she should mention the Clarke part. She didn't understand what that was.

"You certainly remember a lot of detail for only a few seconds."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Alicia paused for a moment. "That happened to me too."

"What do you mean?"

"I saw something too. When I threw the spear. It was vivid just like yours."

Elyza was stunned. "Why didn't you say anything? What did you see?"

Alicia shook her head. "It wasn't something I wanted to see. I threw that spear and I... I killed someone. It went right through their chest."

"Well, that's what we're going for here!" Elyza laughed. "I told you to visualize the enemy."

"But it wasn't a walker, Elyza. It was a real, living person. A woman... sitting up high, like on a platform. Some of the details were hazy. I was calm but full of anger, and I killed her. And it felt so real. It kind of horrified me."

Both girls were silent for a moment, processing everything.

Alicia opened her mouth like she was about to speak again but promptly closed it. Elyza looked at her expectantly and waited.

"Why does this keep happening to us? And what is it?"

Elyza shrugged. "Maybe it's just the madness that is our lives now. The intensity and stark conditions have to take a strange toll on the brain."

"I think it's you," Alicia commented softly. Elyza looked at her curiously and she continued. "Yes, there has been this new madness and intensity - I've lived it for months now. But I didn't feel these things until you got here. It's been what, an hour since you showed up? All these _moments_ have happened since then, and it's things we're saying and doing together that make them happen. You can't just think it's everything outside of us that's causing it."

Elyza put her head in her hands. "I don't know what to think. I don't know if I want it to keep happening. It's confusing."

Alicia felt a bit hurt, though she knew it was irrational. "Then I think you'd have to stay away from me, if that's what you want."

Elyza quickly looked up. "No, that's not what I meant."

"But this happens when we're together. I don't know if it's going to stop."

"But I wasn't in your vision. Maybe it _is_ just triggered by the situation. Me hearing those words and you throwing the spear."

Alicia looked down at the ground. "But you _were_ there."

"What? Did you just forget to mention that part?" Elyza winced a bit at the accusatory tone in her own voice, especially since she knew she had also omitted part of what she had seen and heard.

Alicia sighed, ignoring the question. "It was after I threw the spear and the woman was dead. I looked down for a moment, absorbing what had just happened, finally feeling just how physically drained I was, and then I turned and saw you. But it wasn't just that I happened to see you. I was looking for you and knew I'd find you where you stood. I think there was a crowd, but I didn't see other faces. The rest was blurry and then it ended." She sighed again. "So there. Now you know the whole of it."

Elyza closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to relieve some of the tension that was starting to build in her head. "So are _we_ the triggers for these visions, or are they just happening because of the situations we're in, and our subconscious is inserting who we're with into the scene?"

Alicia shrugged even though Elyza's eyes were still closed. "So if my brother were here instead of you when I threw the spear, do you think he would have been the one in my vision?"

"Maybe?"

Alicia wasn't convinced that was the case, but she didn't have anything more to back her stance.

"Hey, you two!" Nick called from the distance. "Workin' hard or hardly workin' over there?" He laughed at his own dumb joke.

"Speak of the devil," Alicia whispered with a smile.

Elyza smiled back, grateful for the momentary distraction.

The girls stood and brushed themselves off.

Alicia shouted back, "Whatever, Nick! I'm sure we've found better-"

"Alicia!" he screamed back in shock. "Behind you! RUN!"

The two girls whipped their heads around in horror and Elyza immediately grabbed Alicia's hand and took off at a sprint.

"The walkers are _running,_ Elyza! How the hell are they RUNNING?"

"Shit!" Elyza muttered. "Look at that! They've split up and they're cutting us off from the rest of our people." She dropped Alicia's hand now that they were sprinting at full speed, and Elyza quickly redirected their route. "Head toward the forest!"

Alicia nodded in understanding, not able to waste any breath on unnecessary words. She was terrified of leaving the open land and discovering what might be lurking in the shadows of the trees. At least she wasn't alone.


	3. What Is This Place?

Alicia startled awake, eyes frantically searching the darkness.

"Hey, it's okay. You're okay."

Alicia sighed and closed her eyes as she leaned her head back, willing her pulse to slow back down. Elyza's hand of reassurance on her thigh was making that decidedly more difficult. Alicia remembered now where she was, remembered the monsters chasing them the day before. They had driven them into the forest and after only about twenty minutes, darkness had started to descend and they figured their best chance of surviving the night was up a tree. Elyza had found one where the lowest branch was out of reach for a grown man and basically threw Alicia up to it, and she in turn helped pull Elyza up with only a minute or two to spare before the swarm of about sixteen undead were upon them. They had quickly climbed up sixty feet before finding a place to rest.

Alicia felt her breathing return to normal and opened her eyes. She turned to see Elyza right next to her, leaning back on her own branch, close enough that their shoulders were almost touching.

Elyza glanced over. "You okay now?"

"Yeah." Alicia nodded.

"So who's Clarke?"

"What?" Alicia was genuinely confused.

"Clarke. Is that your boyfriend?" Elyza snickered. "You repeated that name like six times while you slept."

"How odd!" Alicia laughed. "No, Clark is just my last name. I guess I hadn't told you that yet, but I don't know why I'd be saying my own name in my sleep."

"Well, you are pretty odd," the blonde teased.

Alicia just rolled her eyes, then faintly remembered something and asked hesitantly, "Did I sleep with my head on your shoulder?"

Elyza smiled. "Yep. Until just now when you woke up."

"Sorry!" she cringed. "That must not have been comfortable for you."

"Don't be sorry! I actually slept with my head resting on top of yours."

"Really?"

"Sure did. Best pillow I've had in ages!"

Alicia laughed. "Whatever. Now you're just making fun of me!"

"Not at all," she replied without jest.

Alicia turned again to look at her, and Elyza reached out to tuck a stray bit of hair behind Alicia's ear. Just that slight touch sent goosebumps all over her body. Elyza started to pull back but Alicia leaned her head onto the other girl's palm. This surprised Elyza, but she smiled and just held her tilted head there.

"Thank you," Alicia said softly. "I'd be dead without you, ya know."

Elyza winced at her words and Alicia quickly lifted her head to study her carefully.

"What is it? Another vision?"

Elyza shook her head. "No - I don't know what it was. A feeling. An impression? I don't know."

"An impression of what?"

Elyza sighed, hoping she wouldn't seem weird or clingy. "Just that... I mean, I know we've only known each other for a day, but I don't think I could stand it if anything happened to you. I feel like it would break me. So even if it's only for my own selfish reasons, I guess I'm just going to have to stick around to protect you." She smiled, but then suddenly realized her last comment might have sounded very pretentious, which was definitely not what she meant. "Uh, but it's not like I don't think you can take care of yourself. I mean, you've been just fine so far without me."

Alicia grinned and didn't break eye contact, just letting Elyza stew in her uncharacteristically awkward moment.

"Why are you blushing?" Alicia's grin widened. "Are you nervous?"

Elyza gulped. "Dammit woman, what are you doing to me?"

Alicia leaned ever so slightly closer. "Just waiting."

Elyza raised an eyebrow. "Waiting? For what?"

A little closer now. "To see if you'll make the first move or if I have to."

Those words were like electricity shooting through Elyza's whole frame. She smiled and started to close the small gap between them even more.

"Oh, really? And what makes you think there's a move to be made?"

Each back-and-forth brought them millimeters closer.

Alicia smirked. "Maybe the fact that I catch you looking at me all the time."

Elyza shot it right back at her. "Or the fact that you loved your personal Chinese finger trap."

"Or the fact that you were jealous of my dream boyfriend Clark."

"Or..." Elyza paused when there was no possible way for their faces to be any closer without touching. She brought her hands up to cradle either side of Alicia's face, feeling the other girl shudder beneath her touch. Their eyes stayed locked on each other.

Elyza continued, "Maybe it's because you're kind and brave, or because you're smart and a total goof. Or it might be because you're beautiful and I was maybe a little turned on watching you throw that spear. Maybe it's because we've had this insane connection since the moment we first saw each other."

Alicia swallowed. Every single part of her body was on fire. "And maybe it's all of those things?"

Elyza gave a small nod, her eyes finally breaking contact and landing on Alicia's lips. "I think so."

Her hands immediately brought Alicia's face to hers and moaned when she felt those perfect lips just as hungry for her own.

Elyza had thought the first few kisses might be light and testing, but after all that talk and restraining themselves while being that close, they both needed to release that tension badly.

"Come here," Alicia urged, practically pulling Elyza onto her own branch. The blonde laughed and smoothly transitioned over, putting her legs on top of Alicia's so she was straddling her lap.

"You taste so good," Elyza whispered without breaking their rhythm.

"You _feel_ so good." Aicia ran her hands along Elyza's thighs until she reached her ass and tugged her closer.

Elyza snaked her hands under Alicia's shirt and traced her fingers along a perfectly smooth and toned back.

Alicia slowly pulled back to look at Elyza.

"Hey, you okay? Did I do something wrong?"

Alicia shook her head, smiling and looking absolutely love drunk.

"No, no," she insisted. "You've done everything right." She leaned back and rested her head on the tree, never breaking eye contact. "I'm just starting to feel really, really lightheaded. Probably a mix of starvation, dehydration, and... all of you." She laughed, but then her face fell. "I'm sorry, because that was amazing, but I'm afraid I legitimately might fall out of this tree any second. I've fainted before when I've felt like this."

Alicia tried to fight it and leaned forward towards Elyza again but then started to sway on the branch.

"Whoa there." Elyza firmly gripped her shoulders. "You weren't kidding. Lean back against the tree. I've got food in my knapsack."

She reached over and grabbed her bag from the next branch. "It's not much, but I have some nuts and dried meat."

"My favorite breakfast," Alicia quipped with tired grin.

Elyza rolled her eyes and handed over some food.

"So what's next?" Alicia asked between mouthfuls of food. "Are the walkers going to be waiting for us at the base of the tree?"

"God, I hope not. And I doubt it. Their attention spans seem to be much shorter than that. And even though it was a bit of a shock to see them moving that fast, at least we know we're faster. I saw a clearing not too far from here. It's in the opposite direction of your family, but I say we head there first and see if we can find some food or water. I'd rather lose a little time and gain supplies than trek through the forest again without. What if we run into another horde of walkers and have to spend another night in a tree? What about two or three nights?"

Alicia nodded. "Sounds like a plan. How deep into the forest do you think we are?"

"We were bookin' it pretty good for probably about 20 minutes. Damn. I wouldn't be surprised if we're at least four miles in. At a brisk walk it would take us an hour to get back, plus we really have no idea where the rest of the group is."

"If they would have been able to make it, they would have headed back for the plane. I can get us there if you can find our way back to where we were yesterday."

"Deal. So, how are you feeling now? Ready to head down?"

"Hold up," Alicia said with a sly grin as she scooted closer to Elyza. "What about what just happened between us. We haven't exactly talked about that yet."

Elyza forced her eyes from Alicia's lips and up to her eyes. "It hardly looks like you want to talk," she commented with a smirk.

Alicia smiled and leaned in. She gave her a long, soft kiss. "What is it about you..." She tilted her head to the left and kissed along Elyza's jaw. "that makes me..." Now the right side. "feel like this."

"I have no idea, but believe me when I say it's mutual." She raised a hand to Alicia's chin and lifted her lips back to meet her own. Their kisses were less hungry this time and more tender and affectionate. After several minutes Elyza rested her forehead on Alicia's. "Shall we?"

Alicia smiled and gave her one last quick peck before pulling back. "Let's go."

They carefully descended and Elyza was the first to drop down to the ground. She motioned for Alicia to wait as she thoroughly scanned the area. "It's clear."

Alicia jumped down and slipped a hand into Elyza's as they walked toward the clearing. Nothing was spoken between them, but occasional glances and teasing touches passed between them as they neared their destination. Once they arrived they immediately started searching for food - nuts and berries were going to be their best bet - as well as water. The area wasn't completely devoid of trees, but there were far fewer here, and most of the plants were shrubberies and lots of ivy growing on what looked to be very old ruins.

They entered another area and Alicia quickly forgot their main task in her fascination with the aged debris.

"Focus, Commander," Elyza chided. "Ancient ruins aren't going to feed us."

"But come look at this, Elyza. This is amazing. There's even... Whoa."

"Now, don't go trying to distract me too!" But she couldn't help seeing what had Alicia so captivated. She turned and followed her gaze until she saw it.

"Whoa is a bit of an understatement, I'd say."

Not far in the distance lay the remains of what had likely once been a very tall tower; there now stood only two stories still partially intact. They quickly took in the scene around them. Ivy and moss grew in and through and around what was left of a long-forgotten city - one of the many areas scattered throughout the country now that hadn't yet been repopulated and rebuilt. They were standing in an open area that likely served as a marketplace, and further in the distance was the rubble of many, many homes.

"This place..." Alicia began as she stepped further into the ruins, then looked back at Elyza. "Why do I feel like I know it?"

The blonde shrugged. "It's eerie, isn't it? Kind of like a ghost town."

"You should come with me to the capital..." Alicia whispered, as if in a trance.

"Huh?" Elyza asked in confusion, still trying to take in the scene in front of her. "Alicia, what is this place?"

A light bulb suddenly went off in both their minds and as their eyes met, they answered in unison...

"Polis."

* * *

 _Author's note: Ahhhh, they're in Polis! Again! Together! I'd love to hear your thoughts so far. Is there anything you hope or predict will happen next? I can't wait to share the rest of the story with you. Thanks for reading! :)_


	4. A Second Chance

Elyza and Alicia stared at each other, stunned that they both _remembered_ the name of this abandoned city.

Alicia sat on a low block of stone and dropped her head into her hands. Her mind was racing and this crazy pressure was building in her head.

Elyza sat down across from her on an old tree stump. "Alicia, what the hell is Polis? I don't even know if I've ever heard that word in my life, but it just came out of my mouth, and yours too."

Alicia took a deep breath before answering. "I'm sure you've heard the word 'polis'. Likely in a world history class. A polis was an ancient Greek city-state and functioned as the hub of trade and politics. Basically a Greek state capital-"

"Hey, you said that word before," Elyza interjected.

"What?"

"Capital. You said, 'You should come with me to the capital,' and you looked like you were having another déjà vu moment. Before we remembered Polis."

Alicia shook her head. "Elyza, this is freaking me out." She stood and started walking through the old marketplace. Debris was strewn about, but she could make out some of what it once was. Part of a piano, window shutters, a boat oar, metal barrels.

"Me too. Wow." Her blue eyes opened wide in amazement. "I keep getting these fragments of memories. Are they memories?"

Alicia looked at her earnestly. "I don't know, but I'm getting them too. It's places and faces and names and wonderful and terrible things."

Elyza nodded. "Okay, how about this. We'll tell each other all these... fragments we're seeing and maybe they'll start triggering some answers for one of us. We both knew Polis, so I'm betting other memories will overlap too."

"But what the hell would those answers be, Elyza?"

The blonde shrugged. "Maybe where these memories are coming from?" There was a sudden, excited glint in her blue eyes. "Alicia, do you think reincarnation could be a thing? Oh my god. That could explain these scattered memories. What if we _knew_ each other in a different life, and _that's_ what we're remembering!"

Alicia shook her head. "No way."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. That's like, Merriam-Webster crazy."

Elyza chuckled. "Then just humor me. Here, I'll start." She took a deep breath. "I remember... a two-headed deer."

Alicia recoiled. "What?"

"I know it sounds weird, but you can't question everything I say! C'mon, tell me something you saw."

"Okay, fine. There were a lot of things, but let's start with... candles. Lots and lots of candles."

Elyza giggled. "Really? Candles?"

"Hey, you said I couldn't question you, so you can't laugh at me!"

Elyza cleared her throat and tried to wipe the smirk off her face. "Fair enough." She started to pace slowly as she racked her brain. "Okay, there was also... a watch on my wrist. I think someone had given it to me."

They settled into a steady rhythm of bouncing images and names off of each other.

"I had a throne."

"I was in a space station."

"Giant gorilla."

"War paint."

"Anya."

"Wells."

"Gustus."

"Finn."

"Costia."

"Mount Weather."

"Reapers."

"Wanheda."

"Ascension Day."

"Nightbloods."

"Jus drein jus daun."

"Thirteen clans."

"Fealty."

"The Flame."

"More than just surviving."

"You had a tattoo on your back."

"You had a cut over your eye."

"May we meet again."

The girls stared at each other in disbelief, trying to grasp whatever was just beyond their consciousness.

Alicia suddenly clutched her stomach and doubled over in pain. Her throat constricted from the shock and she gasped for air, slumping back down on the stone block she had sat on before.

Elyza rushed to kneel in front of her. "Are you okay?"

Alicia looked stunned as she tried to steady her breathing. "I felt this... shooting pain... in my abdomen... just here."

Elyza touched the hem of her shirt. "Can I?" Alicia nodded so she lifted her shirt to inspect the source of the pain. Elyza pressed lightly into her skin to see if anything felt amiss. She furrowed her eyebrows. Nothing seemed wrong. "Can you tell me more about what it feels like?"

"It's going away," Alicia commented with a deep sigh. "But god, it was the strangest thing. It felt like I'd been shot."

"But you feel okay now?" Elyza asked, watching her carefully.

"Yeah. I mean, I'm not actually hurt. It was just another déjà vu moment. A very vivid one." She furrowed her eyebrows. "It's like I remember being shot. I remember the sensation, the pain - while in reality I'm fine."

"I'm starting to wonder what reality actually is," Elyza muttered. She realized she still had her hand on Alicia's bare abdomen and started to pull back, but suddenly remembered something and let her fingers slide to the other girl's back."

Alicia smirked. "Really? Right now?"

Elyza blushed. "Shut up. I said I remember you with a tattoo on your back." She looked up into Alicia's eyes. "It was definitely you."

"I've never gotten a tattoo," Alicia responded with a shrug.

Elyza moved to look at her back, recalling the details. "It was intricate, with circles and symbols I didn't recognize. Seven circles..."

"...one for every Natblida that died when the Commander chose me." Alicia gasped at her own words and Elyza moved to face her again.

"You were the leader - the Commander!" Elyza announced excitedly as the memory started to resurface. "You said before you remembered having a throne!"

"Ai laik Heda..."

"You like what?"

"No..." Alicia concentrated, trying to anchor all these remnants of a past life to something she could actually believe was possible. "It was a different language."

Elyza looked impressed. "You speak a different language?"

The brunette shook her head. "No, I don't. But I did..." She brought a hand to her forehead, trying to sort out the jumble of memories "Dammit, Clarke, I never believed reincarnation was real, but these moments aren't just foreign ideas. I feel that now. I've lived them all."

Elyza froze. "Wait, what did you call me?"

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't call me Elyza just now, you called me Cl-"

"Clarke," Alicia finished as she searched her companion's eyes. She whispered the name again, testing it. "Clarke..." A hand shot to her mouth in confusion and surprise. "Oh my god. _Clarke!_ "

That name resonated in Elyza with the oddest sense of familiarity, and looking into Alicia's eyes now felt like she was looking at an entirely different person. Alicia cradled her face with her hands, studying it up close. To Elyza, Alicia suddenly looked so much more soulful - like she had knowledge and wisdom far beyond her years. Then it clicked. Everything came back. Elyza's gaze widened as she fully took in the woman before her, seeing her now with new eyes. She gasped. " _Lexa?"_

Lexa nodded and smiled as tears ran down her cheeks. Clarke, still kneeling before her, laughed in disbelief. She moved in between Lexa's legs, placed one hand gently on her thigh and the other behind her head, bringing their lips together.

Clarke was shaking with emotion and couldn't hold back the tears that sprang from her eyes as she kissed and touched the woman she had loved for so long, so long ago. She broke the kiss and leaned her forehead on Lexa's. "I missed you so much," she whispered. "For decades."

"But surely you..."

"No. There was no one else, Lex. You were it for me."

Lexa could hear the anguish in her voice and pulled back just enough to look into eyes that were just as full as hers. "I'm so sorry," she replied, a fresh wave of tears streaming down. "I'm so sorry I left you in that world." Lexa slid off the stone block to join Clarke on the ground. She wrapped her arms around the girl in a fiercely strong and protective embrace, and Clarke just let herself crumple into her. The longing and heartbreak of decades and lifetimes racked her body and she sobbed. They stayed like that for several minutes as Lexa held her, running her fingers through golden blonde hair and trying to soothe the precious soul she had somehow managed to find again. No matter the distance apart - whether it was earth and sky, or east and west coast - their paths were always meant to cross.

"Hey," Lexa whispered softly. "It's okay, Clarke. You're okay. I've got you now."

Clarke slowly sat up, met her steady gaze, and attempted a smile as she wiped her eyes. "Your voice. God, how I missed your voice. No one says my name like you do, you know."

Lexa laughed, dabbing away a few fresh tears. She stared at Clarke in sheer wonder. She brought a hand to her face, touching her softly and slowly as though it were for the first time, tracing each feature, committing them to memory once again. "How is this possible?" she whispered.

Clarke shook her head. "I don't know. A second chance, perhaps? Because things didn't happen the way they were supposed to the first time around?"

A mournful expression came over Lexa and she spoke in quiet earnest. "Oh, Clarke. I am so, so sorry." She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I always knew I could die at any time, but that day was ironically the first time I had let myself imagine we might have a chance at a future together." Her head dropped, and Clarke brought a hand under her chin to gently lift it up again.

"Well, look at us now," Clarke smirked. "Together. In the future." Lexa laughed in spite of herself and Clarke smiled at the sweet sound.

Lexa gazed at Clarke for a few moments. "I love you, Clarke."

Clarke just stared back, slightly taken aback by the abrupt declaration.

Lexa smiled at her reaction. "I'm only sorry I never said those exact words before to you. I did think them many times."

Clarke's smile was tinged with sadness as she shook her head. "But you didn't need say it. I knew that you loved me, Lexa. You proved that to me through your actions. I knew it, even if I was too stubborn to accept it for so long."

Lexa shrugged. "You had every right to be stubborn."

"And you had every right to be cruel and unrelenting. Merciless and power hungry. You literally held the world in your hands, and yet you were kind, patient, understanding, trusting, and brave. Your greatest battle was fighting against hate and for peace."

Lexa looked away, eyebrows furrowed. Her memories were continually returning to her and becoming more and more detailed. "It was so hard, Clarke," she said sincerely, completely opening up to the woman she loved. "I wanted to do _so much_ more."

Clarke saw the tears welling up in her eyes again. "Hey, Heda," she soothed with a smile as she took her hands in her own. "You don't even fully know the impact you had on the world. Remember when I told you your legacy would be peace? _It was._ For as long as I lived you were heralded as a legend, one of the greatest souls of our time."

"Truly?"

"Yes," Clarke replied in earnest. "Those who remained loyal to the memory of the Commanders saw you for the visionary that you were and tried to pattern the world after your teachings."

"The memory of the Commanders?"

Clarke let out a long sigh. "So much happened after you were gone, Lexa. So many terrible things. There was good that rose from the ashes, but I always knew deep down we never were able to accomplish what you could have if the world had been lucky enough to keep you."

Lexa just nodded, trying to process all she was saying. "Clarke," she began hesitantly. "How long did you live? And what happened after I was gone?"

Clarke chuckled. "Why don't we go find ourselves some food and water, like we actually came here to do," she added with a smirk, "and I'll tell you everything."

* * *

 _Author's note: Wow, you guys. I actually got really emotional and even cried a bit as I was writing about Clarke and Lexa remembering everything - remembering each other. That's never happened to me when I've written. Damn. That was crazy. It hurt so good. So I was originally planning to combine what I have planned for the next chapter with this one, but as I wrote this reunion it just felt like it needed to stand alone. Soon more will be revealed about how and why this reincarnation came about, as well as the zombie apocalypse, and what the girls will be able to do with that rediscovered knowledge. Thank you to those who have read and left comments - the feedback helps so much! I'd especially love to hear what you think of this chapter. Thanks!  
_


	5. The Genesis

_Author's Note: Hopefully this first bit doesn't feel too much like a recap of what you already know from the show. I had considered quickly glossing over part of the conversation where Clarke explains what happened after Lexa's death, but I really wanted to explore what that interaction would be like for them as Lexa learns about everything. Stick it out and you'll be getting some new backstory pretty quick, including the origin of those dastardly zombies and my own conspiracy theory for ALIE in the show. I really enjoyed crafting this chapter. Buckle up and put on your thinking caps, because this one is loaded. [insert diabolical laughter] Enjoy! ;)_

* * *

"Okay, you've forced me to be patient long enough," Lexa announced as they settled up in a new tree. They had gathered enough food and water to get them through several days before heading back into the had both agreed minimal talking was best as they foraged so they could focus and avoid drawing unnecessary attention to themselves in case there were were walkers nearby. After several hours they decided to rest and finally have the talk they both needed.

Lexa was thoughtful as she adjusted to a semi-comfortable position on a branch. "So, Clarke, how long did you live?"

Clarke glanced up, seeming to search the sky for her answer. "Let's see, I lived for fifty-six more years after you."

" _Fifty-six?"_ Lexa asked in disbelief. "That's incredible. So you lived to be seventy-four? No one ever lived that long."

Clarke chuckled. "Well, the life expectancy started to increase over time."

Lexa smiled. "I'm sure that was in part because of you and your mother as healers."

"I'd like to think so."

Lexa cleared her throat and looked resolute. "Alright, tell me what happened after... after I died. Did my spirit choose Aden as the next Commander? I don't have memories from being in the Flame - no memories of the Commanders who followed me. Did your people give up your chancellor and end the blockade? Did Titus keep his vow to protect you? What did you do?"

Clarke held up her hands in protest. "Whoa, there. Let's just take this one question at a time. Or, better yet, how about I just tell you the story of what I know - what I experienced - and you can ask me questions along the way?"

Lexa smiled bashfully and nodded. "Sorry, I'm just anxious to know what happened." She brought Clarke's hand to her lips and gave it a soft kiss. "I'm listening."

Clarke smiled back as she gave Lexa's hand a quick squeeze. "Whew, okay. Let me see... So, after you died things immediately started to go downhill. You remember Ontari, the Azgeda Natblida who was raised by Nia?"

"Yes."

Clarke took a deep breath. "Well, she stormed back into Polis, and... It was horrible, Lexa. She killed all your Nightbloods in their sleep the night before the conclave was supposed to begin and took the throne."

"What?" Lexa demanded as her nostrils flared. "That abomination cannot stand. That is not the way of my people." Her voice softened, sounding deflated. "My spirit surely could not have chosen that."

"It didn't," Clarke reassured her, then held up a hand at Lexa's questioning gaze and chuckled. "Wait, I promise I'm about to explain it all." She pondered for a moment, deciding the best way to describe everything. "So Ontari was the only Natblida left, but I knew what she did was wrong and that she would make the world a living hell if she became Heda. So... I decided to steal the Flame - the spirit of the Commanders."

Lexa gasped. "You what?!"

"I went to Titus' room to take the Flame. I didn't exactly have a plan for it, but I just knew I had to get it as far away from Ontari as possible. But Titus was there and confronted me when I tried to steal it. And _that_ was when I remembered you talking about the eighth novitiate from your conclave. Titus told me it was Luna and that she was a coward and traitor to the spirit of the Commander, but he agreed that even she would make a better Heda than Ontari. So Titus actually gave me the Flame, named me the new Fleimkepa, and helped me get out of Polis while he stayed behind to face Ontari."

"And surely she killed him for that act of treachery."

Clarke nodded. "I don't know all the details of how it happened, but he died soon after, yes."

"And without the Flame Ontari couldn't ascend."

"Right," Clarke agreed. "She faced some grief from your ambassadors about that, but she shut them down and announced herself as the rightful Heda and took over control."

"And you searched for Luna?"

"Yes. I first went back to Arkadia to enlist Lincoln's help since he once told me Luna was a friend of his, but by the time I arrived, I was too late. Lincoln was dead - killed by Chancellor Pike for treason."

"That horrible man," Lexa commented, shaking her head.

"Yeah, but he got his comeuppance."

"What happened?"

"My people finally turned him over to the Grounders at the blockade."

Lexa grinned. "So our idea worked!"

Clarke chuckled at her enthusiasm. "It actually did! One of the few things that did go right." Her expression darkened. "But something terrible was happening in Arkadia that we didn't know about back in Polis. Even the people within Arkadia had no idea what they were dealing with."

"What was it?"

Clarke thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain it all. "Okay, so you, as Alicia - I'm sure you know all about artificial intelligence."

Lexa shrugged. "It's never something I've intensively researched, but I certainly understand the basic concepts."

"Good enough. Well, that's exactly what the Flame was, Lex. It was an AI that was implanted in the brain stem of each of the Commanders. It uploaded their consciousness into its memory, giving future Commanders access to the memories of the previous ones."

Lexa's eyes shot wide open. "No. Way. I was operating with the influence of an artificial intelligence? I don't know if I feel more terrified or stoked out of my mind at that idea!"

Clarke laughed at her geeked-out reaction while Lexa's mind was reeling at the implications. "So what does that mean, Clarke? Who developed the AI and how the hell did it wind up in such a primitive civilization?" She pondered for a moment, then nodded her head slowly as the realization dawned on her. "The first Commander? She must have been some kind of engineer, or scientist..."

Clarke nodded. "Yeah, that's exactly right. She... Well, she had a complicated past."

Lexa furrowed her brows. "I remember her name was Becca... But how do you know so much about her?"

"Along with the Flame was a book that Titus gave me. It was Becca's journal where she logged information from her experiments and described the purpose and engineering behind the AIs she designed."

"Wait, _AIs_?" Lexa questioned. "As in, plural?"

"Yeah, and that was the problem. The AI that was in you, the Flame, that was version two - the improved version."

"And version one..."

"...was what initiated the end of the world. The first apocalypse. And it survived the bombs and found its way into Arkadia."

"Holy shit," Lexa muttered. "So Becca, our first Commander, destroyed the world?"

"Indirectly, yes, but that was not her intention. She designed the first AI, which she named ALIE, in the hopes that it would help to make life better for humankind. Becca underestimated its ability to circumvent her instructions in pursuit of its own understanding of its core command to make life better. Becca was brilliant and had every possible resource at her disposal. She even had her own space station, which she fled to when she realized she couldn't safely create version two while even being on the same planet as ALIE. She understood then that ALIE didn't have the ability to truly interface with humanity and understand the wants and needs of real people. This second AI, the Flame, was different."

"So how did it affect me?" Lexa asked intently. "How much of me actually was _me_?"

"You were 100% you," Clarke reassured with a smile. "Titus said you were the wisest and strongest Commander who had ever lived, and that those traits were already part of you before you ascended. The Flame only serves to deepen and enhance the characteristics within you. So you were you, only with the added experience and wisdom of the leaders before you, which is pretty amazing, if you ask me."

Lexa just nodded, trying to process all this information. "Okay, I think I'm following you so far. Now this first AI, ALIE - you said she got to Arkadia? How? And what happened?"

"Man, that's another story that could take ages to tell, but here's the crux of it. My people lived up in space, right? And we only came down because our station, the Ark, was failing. We were supposed to be able to survive up there for another hundred years, and yet, it mysteriously gave out on us a century too soon. Well, turns out we had ALIE to thank for that as well."

Lexa gasped. "The AI that launched the bombs also brought down the Ark?"

"Yep. She knew there were people living in space when she launched the bombs and she worked for years to hack into the station's system. Her main motivation was to locate Becca so she could interfere with her attempts to replace version one. But when ALIE finally did get into the system, Becca had already returned to earth, her space station Polaris had been blown out of the sky, and every trace of it had been scrubbed from the computers. Because of all this, ALIE could find no record of her creator and just assumed she had not yet cracked the code for every computer system in the Ark."

"So that's why she wanted to bring it down?" Lexa could feel the gears spinning in her mind as she tried to put all these pieces together. "ALIE wanted direct access to your computers? Wasn't that a huge risk in case everything was destroyed on the way down?"

Clarke shrugged. "I guess that was a risk she was willing to take. Plus, it wasn't just for the computers. She also wanted us."

"What did she want with your people?"

"She wanted every last human being to join her City of Light."

Lexa's head tilted to the side. "City of Light?"

Clarke sighed. "Yeah. It was kind of this alternate reality. I still don't know exactly how it worked, but all you had to do was ingest a chip, which was similar in size to the Flame - only about the size of a quarter. When swallowed, the silicone chip would attach to the brain stem and block certain neural pathways and pain receptors. It would immediately stop the person from feeling pain, but it would also slowly remove any memories they had of pain of any kind, and eventually the people were just mindless bodies, simply existing to carry out ALIE's bidding."

"That's terrifying."

"Oh, believe me, I know. I watched it happen to my friends, my mom."

"Your mom?" Lexa's voice reflected the pain she could hear in Clarke's.

"Yeah. And then once ALIE had access to their minds, they were able to kind of mentally transport to this City of Light - this virtual reality without pain, hate, envy - which all may sound nice in theory-"

"But there has to be opposition in life," Lexa cut in emphatically. "That's what makes us who we are."

"Exactly. Which just goes to show how little ALIE truly understood the needs of humanity. She thought she would be saving the human race by getting every last person into this false world she had created."

"So could you tell someone had taken ALIE's chip just from looking at them?"

Clarke thought for a moment. "Not if you were just looking at someone, but if you talked with them long enough, you would know it wasn't their real self interacting with you. But what was truly terrifying was when a whole horde of them got together, blindly following ALIE. They just moved together in this huge mass hellbent on achieving the task at hand. It's like they were just animated bodies weren't really alive."

Lexa chuckled. "They don't sound too different from our walkers."

Clarke's eyes widened in surprise. "Well, shit. You just stole my punch line. And I had the story building up to that climax all planned out in my head."

"Excuse me?"

"You nailed it. These zombified, chip-faced Arkadians were the antecedents of our walkers of today."

Lexa's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious. Explain."

"Okay, so my genius friend Raven discovered what was probably the only way someone who had taken the chip could eliminate ALIE and her influence from their mind without having to die. She figured a way to send some kind of electrical pulse through the body that would fry the chip while leaving body tissue intact."

"But it didn't work?" Lexa was feeling more and more lost by the second.

"No, it did work, but we weren't able to cure everyone before it was too late."

"When was it too late?"

Clarke took a deep breath. "When we finally destroyed ALIE and her network."

Lexa nodded. "So the people who were still under her influence when she was destroyed..."

"It left them worse than before. We thought they might die, but instead they were permanently changed. Broken. Inhuman. We never knew exactly what happened to their minds, but the chip's frying effect left them fundamentally altered on a biological level. It was like they became hyper-focused on eliminating ALIE's problem: too many people. Killing people was their sole purpose. They were this mindless horde that spread like cancer - continually multiplying with seemingly no other cure than a bullet to the head."

Lexa was stunned. "So they became zombies?"

"Yep."

"And why do they go after the brains?"

Clarke shrugged. "I don't know. The way I see it, it's maybe a kind of recompense for what they lost - their own minds."

Lexa let out a soft whistle. "Damn. That's dark. Makes sense in a twisted way."

Clarke nodded and both girls stayed silent for a few moments, letting this collision of past and present fully sink in.

Lexa spoke again, "So how many zombies from that first generation got away without a bullet in their head? Have they been roaming the earth _all_ this time?"

Clarke sighed. "It was so hard to know for sure if we had gotten them all. I think we did. All except for the one, though," she added with a sneer.

"What was the one?"

"Bellamy insisted we keep one to keep studying so we could try to find a cure on the off chance that there were any that had escaped and would be creating more zombies. I told him it was too dangerous and we shouldn't trust that everyone would keep it locked up. But more people sided with him than with me, though I was the chief medical advisor, so I relented. I had to admit I was curious to learn more, but I was more terrified of what could happen."

"And something did happen..." Lexa probed.

"It must have, but not as long as I lived."

"What do you mean?"

"That one zombie never got out as long as I lived, but I don't know if he somehow did afterward, or if there were in fact ones we missed all that time ago. I truly have no idea. All I know is that what I saw then is exactly what we're seeing now."

Lexa was shocked. "But how the hell did that thing live that long? You're telling me they can outlive us?"

Clarke nodded. "Seems like it, just based off of that one. And I can't really say that it _outlived_ us - just that it took longer to die. I did observe its gradual deterioration over time. I think they're just very slowly decomposing, likely until they can't function anymore. But I really don't know for sure."

Lexa groaned as she leaned her head back. "So literally the only way to rid the world of the walkers in our lifetime is to kill them all. That is utterly impossible."

"I agree. The best idea I've come up with is that we need to carve out a safe space for ourselves. Build a wall and create a community for the few survivors we have."

Lexa sighed in defeat. "I guess so."

They sat lost in their own thoughts for a long time before Lexa startled upright.

"Hey, what is it? Are you okay?" Clarke quickly became concerned when Lexa didn't respond. She was just gazing off into the distance. "Hey, earth to Lexa!"

Lexa shuddered as she came back to consciousness.

"Another déjà vu moment?"

"More than that."

Clarke quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"A very distinct impression. A directive."

"A directive? Lexa, what the hell are you talking about?"

"What happened to the Flame, Clarke?"

That caught the blonde off guard. "What?"

"The Flame. Where is the second AI now?"

Clarke stared at her incredulously. "Good grief, Lexa, that was more than a century ago! You see what that time has done to something as grand and immense as your tower. What do you think it would do to something so small and delicate?"

"You know where it is." Lexa wasn't asking.

"Perhaps." Clarke stared at her companion, trying to divine where she was going with this. "But I don't know for sure."

"Clarke, there's no time for this. I need to know where the spirit of the Commander is."

"Remember yesterday when you said you were petulant? It's coming out again." Clarke was trying not to show her frustration. She then realized this was less petulance and more Heda Lexa shining through.

Lexa narrowed her eyes, seeming to search for something within Clarke, who squirmed under the intense gaze.

"You had it last." Again, not a question.

Clarke was dumbfounded. "How could you possibly know that?"

Lexa shook her head and shrugged, some of the young girl in her showing again. "It's an impression. A very strong impression. I can't explain it. I'm feeling drawn to the Flame, Clarke. Like it's calling to me, and you're the only one who knows where it is."

Clarke nodded. "You're right. But I hadn't told you that part yet." She took a deep breath. "So I told you that Titus made me the new Fleimkepa and that along with the Flame he gave me the journal of the first Commander - Becca. Besides information about her research, the journal also detailed how the AI was to be used and implanted into the Natblidas, so I knew that I needed to find Luna and perform the ascension ritual myself."

"And you still found her in time, even though you didn't have Lincoln?"

"Yes. I remembered that when Lincoln first told me about Luna he had a map in his journal that would lead me to her. I told Octavia and she said he had told her about Luna as well, and that his journal was back in his cave, along with other books and maps that could prove helpful to us. So we found the map and finally reached Luna, but she was very reluctant to accept the Flame and ascend as Commander. She did not believe she was worthy nor that the people would accept her as their Heda. It wasn't until Luna finally saw Ontari ruthless and heartless in battle that she realized her becoming Commander was the worst possible option, especially as ALIE's influence was spreading like wildfire. The people had to be united once again to fight this common enemy, and she could see that Ontari was not the leader to accomplish that and never could be. So Luna agreed, I performed the ritual, and she ascended to Heda."

Lexa clutched a hand over her heart. "I am so proud of Luna. I just knew I couldn't allow Titus to hunt her down and kill her."

Clarke nodded. "Well, I can definitely say we were all grateful you didn't."

"Incredible," Lexa whispered. "And how long was she Heda? You must have been Fleimkepa for many Commanders since you lived for so long."

Clarke shook her head. "Luna was the only one. The last one."

Lexa's brow furrowed. "I don't understand..."

"So many people died to bring down ALIE and her army." Clarke's head dropped. "It was such a terrible time, Lex. If you were lucky enough to survive it meant you had to watch most of your loved ones die."

"And Luna died," Lexa stated sadly.

"Yes, only a few months after she ascended. And Ontari was killed just two weeks before that. We had searched and searched, but we could find no Natblida children. There were none still alive, so on Luna's deathbed she told me that although there was still hope for us to defeat ALIE, the Flame had not yet been able to fulfil its purpose, and I had to keep it safe. I thought she was going mad because without any Natblidas it would never have a purpose to serve ever again, but she made it seem like things were just being put on pause. I still wish I knew what she meant."

Lexa's face showed her utter disbelief. "The line of the Commanders ended so soon."

Clarke nodded. "I told you the world would have been lucky to keep you longer. But after ALIE and her minions were either cured or dead we set up our own democratic government to bring together the 13 clans. In my opinion, it's better to have only one leader if they are good and just, but when you can't guarantee that, it is far better for a group to be governed by multiple voices, so that's what we did. It took time, but the world did heal. We healed. Cities were built up and a greater sense of community was established. We built schools and hospitals, opened trade routes, and developed technology. Progress was slow, but it happened. The skirmishes between some clans never ended, but they were much more tolerable than they had once been. Life was simple, but good."

Lexa let out a long breath. "Wow. Thank you for telling me everything, Clarke. I still have so many questions about specific details, but I think I know all that I need to for now, so we're back to where we were earlier."

"And where is that?" Clarke asked. They had talked about so much that she wasn't sure exactly what Lexa was referring to.

"The Flame, Clarke. Take me to it."

"Ah, yes. And what exactly do you plan on doing with the second AI _if_ we're able to find it at all? You think you're going to put it back in your head and rule the world?"

"Don't be patronizing, Clarke. I don't know exactly why I need to be with it, but I do. Maybe the close proximity will trigger visions that can help us." Lexa's eyes shot wide open and she even bounced a bit on her tree branch in excitement. "Oh, Clarke! What if the Flame will help me know how to end this zombie apocalypse? What if part of the Flame fulfilling its purpose is helping us now!"

Now Clarke was the one overwhelmed with information. "Uh, I don't know."

"Oh, please. Don't tell me you're a skeptic. With everything we've been through since we first met? Both in this lifetime and the one before. Surely you can't deny the power of both these AIs."

Clarke shook her head. "No, you're right. I can't deny that. I guess I'm just trying not to get my hopes up." Her expression became more steady. "Okay, I'll take you to where I hid the Flame. We'll have to go back towards Polis and-"

A sickening crash reverberated through the air around them. Both girls plastered themselves up against the tree to keep from falling off their branches in shock.

"Clarke, what the hell was-"

"There!" The blonde pointed behind her. Lexa turned just in time to see the source of another earsplitting sound as a massive branch from a neighboring tree plummeted to the ground, striking at least a dozen others on its way.

"Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit!" Clarke's cursing snapped Lexa back to attention. She followed her gaze down to the forest floor and saw them approaching - walkers. Around twenty of them coming from all directions. They were attracted to the noise, hoping it was a death knell that meant dinner was served.

* * *

 _Author's Note: The idea that ALIE was responsible for the failure of the Ark is entirely my own conspiracy theory, not actual show canon, though I would love for it to be true. :) Thank you for all the reviews so far - let me know what you think of this chapter!_


	6. Fire and Blood

"Whoa, careful there. What exactly do you think you're doing?"

Lexa grunted as she gave one last tug to break the branch free. "Ha! This is perfect!"

"For... your walking stick?"

Lexa rolled her eyes as she swung one end of the branch into Clarke's shoulder.

"Hey now," Clarke said in mock offense as she rubbed her arm. "You're gonna knock me out of this tree, and not only would that be a forty-foot fall, but I'd be quick grub for walkers."

"They wouldn't touch you now that I have my new weapon here." She grinned. "This branch is the perfect thickness to use as a bo staff. I can't just wait up here, hoping they'll leave soon, Clarke. We need to fight our way out, and you need to take me to the Flame."

Clarke frowned. "What about your family? We're about halfway through the forest now, so it will take us just as long to either find them or go back to Polis."

"I desperately want to find them, Clarke, and I can't imagine what they must be thinking with me gone, but..." She sighed. "Again, I don't know quite how to explain it. I just need to find the Flame. Besides, how would we make sense of all this to them? If we go to them first, we'll have to explain why it's so urgent that we go back through a zombie-infested forest to find the ruins of a city only we remember as Polis. How do we do that?"

Clarke shook her head. "I don't know. I just want to make sure you're fully okay with this first. I know how much they mean to you."

Lexa placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know, and thank you. But if the Flame really is going to help us like I think it is, then us finding it as soon as possible can only help them too."

Clarke nodded. "As you wish, Commander." She looked down at the walkers who were ambling aimlessly below them. "Well, I'm not gonna use my gun in case the sound just attracts more of them, and I'll have to be pretty close to use my knife, so I think I'll need to find me a bo staff as well."

"Hold up. I've got you." Lexa stepped gingerly over branches to the other side of the thick tree. "Here we go," she muttered, followed by a loud crack. She came back around and smiled proudly as she sat down on her branch next to Clarke. She spent the next minute stripping off the extra branches sprouting off of it and handed the finished product to her companion.

"What do you think?"

"It's perfect!" Clarke smiled as she spun it around, testing the weight in her hands. "We are about to make some heads roll!"

Lexa shuddered. "I can definitely stomach all this better now, but it's still absolutely disgusting."

"Yeah, it is." Clarke glanced down to the ground. "Looks like there are about twenty-one. How about this - let's try to find a low-hanging branch and see if we can crack a few skulls from there first without having to hit the ground. That will save us a little trouble."

Lexa nodded. "Good idea. Shall we?"

"Let's do this."

Clarke's idea worked quite well - they were able to take out thirteen walkers who wandered too close to their branch in search of brains. When the girls dropped to the ground they only had to handle a few kills each to clear their path.

"Well done, beautiful." Clarke smiled as she leaned in to give her a soft kiss. Lexa let out a moan in pleasure but then stepped back. "Don't go getting me turned on again right now." She warned with a smirk. "We need all this adrenaline for staying alive."

Clarke's head fell back as she laughed. "Fair enough." She winked as she slipped her hand into Lexa's. "Let's go."

Two hours and eleven zombie skulls later and the girls were back in Polis.

Lexa took a deep breath. "Okay. Where to?"

Clarke used her staff to point straight ahead. "There."

"The tower?"

Clarke nodded. "Yep. I'll show you. Just pray the Flame's still where I put it."

Once they stepped into the ruins of what had once been a grand entry room, Clarke moved automatically toward the other end and knelt down. She immediately found the stone she was looking for in the floor and scraped away around its edge until it loosened. She looked around the room. "Hey, can you bring me that flat stone right there?" She pointed at the object in question and Lexa brought it to her. "Thanks."

Lexa watched her curiously as she worked. Clarke pried up the stone in the floor and used the one Lexa had brought her as a little shovel. She dug for several minutes going nearly a foot deep when she heard the stone strike something hard.

"Yes! This is it!" Clarke reached into her hole and felt around for the metal handle. She grasped it and pulled as hard as she could, but the box hardly budged. She moved it back and forth to help loosen the packed dirt that encased it. She fell back as it finally pulled free and clutched it close.

"This is absolutely incredible," Lexa marvelled as she stared at the small metal box. "This actually is all real, isn't it?"

Clarke loved the look of wonder in her eyes and smiled. "Yes, it is." She set the box down in front of her. "The latches are rusted shut," she muttered. She grabbed her stone trowel and banged against the fixtures several times until they shattered and the box opened.

Lexa gasped and knelt down next to Clarke as she carefully pulled out the shredded remains of the first Commander's spacesuit. Clarke folded back the fabric to reveal the old journal and the container with a skull on the front. "This is it," she whispered as she slid back the panel. Clarke grinned as she delicately removed the Flame from its cushion.

Lexa admired it reverently, then looked to her partner. "I know what we need to do now, Clarke. You need to implant the Flame back into me."

Clarke stared at her. "You can't be serious. I can't even count all the issues I have with that idea."

Lexa just smirked and folded her arms. "Try me."

"Okay, well, for one, I may have been a doctor in my past life, but I haven't ever touched a scalpel in this one. Plus, who knows if that thing is even sterile."

"Your body now may not be conditioned the same as it was then, and you don't have the exact same muscle memory, but if my hands remember how to throw a spear and use a bo staff, yours can wield a scalpel again."

"Okay, fair enough. Let's hope so. Next issue: You aren't a Natblida anymore."

"But I was once."

"But not in this body. Not in this lifetime."

Lexa shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter?" Clarke laughed incredulously. "You do know that anyone without the Nightblood is killed by the Flame, right?"

"But I _did_ have it, Clarke." Lexa tilted her head and stared at Clarke intently. "Clarke, what happened to the last Nightblood vials."

Clarke gulped. "Why?"

"Because they were intentionally left unused to fulfil a specific purpose that was never revealed to me or the past Commanders. Did Luna know what they were for?"

"Yes."

"Well?"

Clarke looked away. "They, uh... She said they were for me."

"Ha!" Lexa exclaimed. "I knew it! Tell me why."

Clarke shrugged. "That's just it. I don't know why."

Lexa grinned. "So you were a Natblida too."

"Yeah, but for what purpose? The spirit of the Commanders was never meant to reside within me."

Lexa's brow furrowed and Clarke could see the gears spinning in her mind.

"You're right - I don't think it was meant to be put in you, but to be used through you."

Clarke arched an eyebrow. "Say what?"

Lexa's voice rose in excitement as she started theorizing. "There's some reason we both needed the Nightblood in our veins, Clarke. It forged some kind of connection between us - even if we don't have it now - but I think the only way I'll fully understand is when I have the Commander's spirit in me again. Then it can communicate with me directly."

"It was gene therapy," Clarke whispered.

"What was?"

"The black Nightblood serum. Once I read everything in Becca's journal I understood it better. When she first returned to earth she injected the people she found with the gene therapy, but she didn't use it all. It takes several doses over a period of time to complete the process, and that's what enables the AI to successfully interface with its hosts. Otherwise they die. But with it, you have access to the consciousness - the memories of everyone who had interacted with the Flame before you. It's an unparalleled feat of engineering. Absolutely incredible."

Lexa nodded. "It really is. I still can't believe I had that in me." She took a deep breath. " And now I need you to put it back."

Clarke shook her head. "I really don't feel comfortable with this, Lex. Something could go terribly wrong. I can't risk losing you for this hunch."

"It's more than a hunch, Clarke."

"Whatever it is, it could kill you. You can't deny that. Life right now might feel like a living hell, but it's better than death."

"But I may not die."

"You don't know that."

"I kind of do."

"But how?"

"Clarke!" she groaned in agitation. "We don't have time for this! Just put the blasted thing back in me!"

"I can't lose you again, damn it!" Clarke's lips quivered and a solitary tear streaked down her face.

"Oh, babe." Lexa's face immediately softened as she wiped the tear away. She kissed her cheek and rested her forehead on Clarke's. "I know - I know how this idea must sound and how you must feel, but trust me. This is something I feel deeper than anything except how much I love you. This is going to work."

Clarke sighed in submission. "Okay," she whispered. "I do trust you."

"Thank you." Lexa looked at the Flame and smiled. "The sacred symbol. Little did I know then that it was actually the infinity symbol."

Clarke chuckled. "That reminds me - I need to brush up on my Latin." She carefully picked up the journal and started flipping through the pages.

"Latin?"

"Yes. There's a Latin phrase that's used to activate the AI and one to deactivate it. Ah, here we go." She pointed out the location in the book. " _Ascende superius_. It means 'seek higher things' - the motto of Becca's scientific corporation."

The AI immediately sprang to life with dozens of tiny tendrils spreading out from its core. Both girls gasped.

"Well, I'm glad it still works!" Clarke laughed and looked back at the journal. "And now to deactivate it... Ah, yes. _Quia nunc vale_."

The Flame's tendrils retracted and Clarke placed it back in the case.

"And what does that phrase mean?"

"Goodbye for now."

Lexa stared at the Flame in wonder. "Wow. It's amazing how much I didn't know about the thing that lived in my head for years."

"And how much our old selves have been part of our current selves. We really aren't all that different from who we were then, are we?"

Lexa shook her head. "Not much. I mean, of course we're influenced by our environments and responsibilities, but in essence we're the same."

"Different lives, same souls."

Lexa smiled and leaned in to kiss her. Clarke set the Flame down and wrapped her arms around Lexa's neck, deepening the kiss.

"I can't lose you," Clarke whispered.

"You won't."

"I just barely found you."

"I know. But you trust me."

"I do."

"Good," Lexa responded as she pulled back. "So, what do we need to do?"

Clarke reached for her knapsack. "Well, we'll use Becca's scalpel. It's better to use for such a precise cut than my knife would be. I have some matches here I'll use to sterilize it, then I have a needle and nylon thread that I'll use to stitch you up."

Lexa laughed. "How in the world do you happen to have a needle and thread?"

Clarke lit a match and held it under the blade. "From the group I used to be with. A man with us was a doctor."

"Oh." Lexa knew everyone who had been in that group had died. "I'm sorry."

Clarke cut a strand of thread and placed it through the needle. "Don't be. I hardly knew them myself." Clarke cleared her throat. "Okay, take this cloth and bite down on it as hard as you have to once I start. It's better than biting your tongue or cheek. And hold onto something - maybe your staff. This is going to hurt."

Lexa nodded. "I know. So, you'll make the cut, activate the AI, put it in, and then stitch me back up?"

"Yep. That's it. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes."

"And you've done it once before. On Luna."

"In my past life, yes." Clarke chuckled. "So I'm basically a pro."

Lexa smiled. "Perfect. That's all I need to know."

Clarke took a deep breath. "Okay, let's do this. Lie facedown and tell me when you're ready."

Lexa stretched out on the ground and grasped her staff. "Ready." She stuffed the rag in her mouth and clamped down.

Clarke took the sterilized scalpel in her left hand, brought the Flame close, and braced herself.

"Okay," she whispered. "I'm going to make the cut now." She willed her hand to stay steady as she made the short incision. The rag under Lexa's neck immediately started collecting blood and Clarke winced at the pained groan she heard coming from the woman she loved. She quickly but carefully picked up the AI.

 _"Ascende superius."_

The Flame activated and Clarke used her fingers to splay the split skin ever so slightly as she inserted the AI. The Flame immediately took over - its mechanical tendrils knowing exactly what to do as they latched onto the inside of Lexa. Clarke used another cloth to dab at the pooling blood and pinched the skin back together as she picked up the needle. She took another deep breath and skillfully wove the needle in and out of the skin of her neck.

Clarke had held her breath for nearly a minute and finally let it out as she finished the last stitch. She quickly cleaned up some of the residual blood and wrapped a bandage several times around Lexa's neck.

"I'm done," she whispered.

"It's about bloody time!" Lexa growled. "I don't think I've ever been in that much pain in my life!"

Clarke cringed. "I'm so sorry, babe. I tried to do it as fast as possible."

"I know. It's just that... Whoa." Lexa started sitting up and Clarke immediately pinned her back down.

"What the hell, Lexa? You can't get up quite yet! Just relax." Clarke was stunned when she heard her laugh.

"Sorry! But, Clarke, this is amazing. I don't feel the pain anymore!"

Clarke froze in terror. "Oh, god. Lexa, I don't think that's a good thing. That's exactly what happened when ALIE hijacked a person's mind."

Lexa propped herself up slightly on her elbow so she could look at Clarke better. "But this isn't ALIE. This is version two."

"But it didn't eliminate your pain before!"

"It did, though, Clarke. I had just forgotten."

"What do you mean?"

"The first time I had the Flame put in - my Ascension Day. It was just like this. Titus had given me medicine that would help with the pain, but then soon after I had the spirit of the Commander within me, the pain subsided just like this."

"But you never lost that memory? Or other painful memories?"

"Heavens, no. I remembered them all as clear as the day they happened - perhaps even more clearly than other people remember their past."

"That's incredible. Maybe this actually is going to work."

Lexa nodded, then was silent for a moment and looked deep in thought.

"What is it?" Clarke questioned.

"You were so good with Luna." A slow smile came over Lexa's face and she tapped her head. "I have her memories now, and I see how much you helped her on her path to Ascension. You are a remarkable person, Clarke Griffin. Then and now."

Clarke laughed. "Well, thank you, but I have to say I'm just a little creeped out by the fact that you have access to the memories of all the previous Commanders."

Lexa shrugged. "You get used to it. Everyone gets very comfortable with each other."

Clarke's brow furrowed in concentration. "So, what happens next? Have you learned anything more from the Flame about what we need to do?"

Lexa nodded. "I think so. Give me a couple minutes. This is a lot for me to process."

"Yeah, of course. I'll clean all this stuff up and then you can tell me what you know."

Lexa just nodded as she slowly sat up and moved to another part of the room.

Clarke worked in silence as she cleaned the scalpel and needle and gathered up the bloody rags. She hoped Lexa wouldn't need too much processing time because the anticipation was killing her.

It was about five minutes before Lexa spoke again. "Clarke."

Clarke hurried over and sat cross-legged facing Lexa. "What is it? What did you find out?"

Lexa's eyes widened. "A lot. It's a bit overwhelming."

Clarke stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.

Lexa looked straight into her eyes. "Clarke, we're going back."

The blonde's brow furrowed. "Back where?"

"Back in time. Clarke, we're going back to our old lives!"

"What are you talking about? That isn't possible."

"It's the Flame, Clarke. It's going to take us back." Lexa was trying to stay calm, but Clarke could see the excitement rising in her.

"This doesn't make any sense, Lex! Please just explain what you're telling me so I can stop trying to ask questions."

Lexa nodded with a smile. "The Flame has complete access to my consciousness, right? Well, time is a funny thing, Clarke, and The Flame doesn't perceive time the same way we do."

Clarke brought her hands up to massage her temples. "When I said to explain I meant in English, please."

"Okay, I'm saying the Flame has access to my consciousness from any point in my existence - this life or the last - and it can reawaken that consciousness, in a sense, and send me back to that point."

"So, kind of like a checkpoint in a video game?" Clarke suggested. "You die, but you don't have to start all the way back at the beginning of the game - you just start over from the checkpoint."

"Yes, exactly! So, just like in a game, when you go back to that checkpoint, the rest of the game isn't set in stone. You aren't destined to repeat the exact same fate if you don't make the same decisions."

Clarke paused for a moment, processing what she was hearing. "So only you will go back?"

"No, Clarke. We both will."

"But you're the only one with the AI."

Lexa smiled. "But this is why Luna had you take the Nightblood - the gene therapy. Even though only the person with version two implanted in them has access to the memories, the Flame has access to the minds of all Nightbloods. They are part of the neural network even though they don't realize it. But I didn't know this before - it wasn't like I could see into the minds of my Nightbloods, but the spirit of the Commanders can. It knows each of us before we even ascend."

Clarke gasped. "So the Flame had access to my mind as soon as I took the gene therapy and became a Nightblood."

Lexa grinned. "Exactly."

"So it can take me back too?"

"Yes. It's not that the Flame is only able to work through me, it just needs a living host for it to be activated. But it has access to both of our streams of consciousness."

"So has this been done before? Has the Flame taken another Commander back in time?"

Lexa shook her head. "No, otherwise I would have their memories of an alternate timeline."

"So I won't be a Nightblood when we go back?"

"Not if we go back to a time before you injected yourself, which is what I would prefer, since I'd like to be alive."

Clarke chuckled. "Obviously. So at what point is the Flame going to take us back?"

"That's up to us, actually."

"Seriously? Why? Can't it calculate the perfect point for us to return to so we can fix things?"

"I'm sure it could calculate some of the most opportune times for us to go back, but it can't determine the future for sure, and once we go back in time, the future will no longer set in stone. Besides, version two is programmed to preserve humanity's agency, which is what ALIE stripped from people, and that's why it's having us choose when to go back. It's all about choice and free will. What we need to do is stop ALIE, and we now know _everything_ we need to know. Plus, you've already stopped her once."

Clarke nodded. "Yes, I have. So we keep all our memories, right? Otherwise this would all be for nothing..."

"Yes, we will remember all of this. It will be as though the Flame is taking this current consciousness and embedding it into a prior point. Imagine that video game analogy again and you get these awesome upgrades before you die, and then you get to keep the upgrades when you start over at the checkpoint."

"Okay, okay. That actually makes sense."

Lexa laughed. "Good. Now you see why I needed that time alone to process."

"Yeah, but you only needed like five minutes! You must be a genius."

"Well, I was a straight-A student with a full-ride scholarship..."

"Alright, don't go getting cocky now."

Lexa winked. "You know I'm just teasing you. Plus, having the AI actually inside my head to feed me all this information is so much easier than me trying to explain it, so you're definitely a genius yourself for even comprehending what I'm telling you."

"I guess that makes us pretty evenly matched."

Lexa grinned. "Yes, it does."

Clarke's expression turned serious. "So, I guess there's just one thing left for us to decide."

Lexa nodded. "To what point in time do we go back?"

* * *

Author's Note: Guys, I had so much fun writing this chapter! Now, I'm sorry this note is so long. The next three paragraphs are just me geeking out over Latin and explaining why I'm quite sure the phrases and meanings I used in this chapter are accurate. So, if you don't care about all that, just check out the last paragraph. Or don't read any of it! Haha. Otherwise, join me, fellow nerds...

Let's talk Latin. In episode 3x07 (Thirteen) both Becca and Titus say something to the Flame that deactivates it, and I read a lot of discussion about the exact phrase and meaning. (Yes, I am that nerdy.) The writer of the episode, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, said on his Tumblr that it was a Latin phrase meaning "seek higher things", which we saw in the episode is the Polaris motto, so that would make sense. However, when I used Google Translate on the phrase "seek higher things" it gave me the Latin "altiora quaerere". [EDIT: Shout out to lufluf for actually having studied a dead language and suggesting I use "quaere" in this instance instead. Thank you! EDIT EDIT: Okay, so if you're watching the show you know from episode 12 that the Latin phrase for seek higher things is indeed used to activate the Flame, but the translation used is "ascende superius". I have updated the story to use that phrase just to maintain consistency. My translation may have been wrong, but my idea was correct!] Then I saw that David Peterson, the creator of Trigedasleng, was also asked about the phrase from the episode on his Tumblr. He didn't know the answer, but asked a friend who is a Latin expert, and he said he believed the phrase was "quia nunc vale". When I put that in Google Translate it gave me "bye for now".

After this expert's translation came out I saw some criticism for Javier - people were saying the writer of the episode didn't even know what was being said. But then the thought occurred to me that there could be two Latin phrases that are used - one to activate and one to deactivate the AI. Because why would you say "bye for now" when you're turning something on? That seems a bit odd to me. So my theory is that Javier did give us a correct phrase, but it ultimately wasn't used in the episode because we never saw a scene where the AI was being activated.

The other criticism was that the actors pronounced "vale" wrong or dropped the "v". But what these critics don't know is that in Latin the "v" is pronounced more like the English "w" or a "gw" sound. It's also important to note that Google Translate pronounces "vale" incorrectly, so that could have led people astray. So, if you watch those scenes again, I'm convinced both Becca and Titus are saying "quia nunc vale" and are pronouncing it correctly so that the last word sounds like "gwa-lay". I'm betting we will hear Fleimkepa Clarke say "ascende superius" at some point this season, and I certainly hope it's when we meet Luna and she agrees to take the Flame.

Okay, Latin aside, I am incredibly excited for the rest of this story to play out! So, if you were Clarke and Lexa, when would you choose to go back? Back when the Ark was in space? Soon after the 100 landed? Before getting abducted by the Mountain Men? Would you stop Jaha from meeting ALIE? Stop the assassin from blowing up Mount Weather? Take Murphy's gun so Titus couldn't end up with it? Kill Pike before he even reached Arkadia? Who could they save from death depending on the day they return? The girls are going to have a good discussion about this in the next chapter, especially as they think about the people they cared about who were lost too soon. I already have that discussion outlined, and it was so fun to just consider all the possibilities. So, now the question is... When would you choose to go back?


	7. Checkpoint

_Author's note: So I was wrong with my translation of "seek higher things" in chapter 6, but my idea was correct! If you watched episode 12 you know the Latin phrase used to activate the Flame is "ascende superius". I have updated the last chapter to use that phrase just to maintain consistency with the show. I believe there will only be one more chapter after this, and I hope it proves to be a satisfying end to the girls' adventure. Enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think! :)_

* * *

"To what point in time do we go back?"

Clarke was quiet for a few moments before she answered with excitement, "Right when the dropship lands! Just think of all the sorrow and bloodshed we could avoid if at that moment the two of us remember _everything_ that happened the first time around. You could send someone to bring me to you, like Indra - or Anya! And we can immediately begin uniting our people." Clarke started to pace as she elaborated. "Then when the rest of the people from the Ark come down, they will be coming to a peaceful land. Just think of all the people who would still be alive - Anya, Gustus, Wells, Finn, Aden, Lincoln... All of your warriors who were burned at the dropship and massacred in the field. TonDC and Mount Weather would still exist! Maybe I could even figure out how to let the Ark know even sooner that we had landed safely, and avoid the Culling. What's more, we could stop Jaha from ever meeting ALIE, and we can work together with the Flame to stop her without most people even knowing of her existence. That's literally more than _a thousand_ lives right there we could save."

Lexa's brows knit together as she contemplated each scenario detailed by her companion. "We would still have the Mountain Men and the Reapers to contend with."

"But I know how to cure the Reapers now. My mom and Jackson will help with that. And my mom will know how we can donate the bone marrow the Mountain Men would need to survive outside Mount Weather. That's several hundred lives that I wouldn't be responsible for taking."

"But what would our lives be like with the Mountain Men alive and free? Will their leaders be easily inclined to change their ways? To join my coalition?"

Clarke shrugged. "I don't know." A playful glimmer showed in her eyes. "But we could avoid the Pauna!"

Lexa tried to hold back a grin. "I'm being serious, Clarke."

"So am I! That thing was terrifying!"

Lexa's expression turned somber and she started shaking her head. "I don't know, Clarke. Going back that far just feels off to me. We'd be leaving so much to chance. Yes, we would remember that alternate timeline, but no one else would. What if you talking to the Ark early on leads to a different set of your people making it to earth? There still wouldn't be enough dropships for them all. What if your mother isn't one of the ones who makes it? Not only will you have lost her, but your whole plan of donating bone marrow is entirely contingent upon her reaching earth. What's more, people will be suspicious of how we know so much, like knowing how to cure Reapers and knowing that your blood and bone marrow is more effective than that of my people to cure the Mountain Men. Nia would still be alive and trying to wreak havoc..." She placed a hand on Clarke's cheek and looked into her eyes. "We would certainly be able to shape the future from that point, but who's to say a worse reality wouldn't replace the one we knew?"

Clarke shrugged. "What could be worse than that reality?"

"One of us could die sooner. Before even reaching the point we were at before."

Clarke's brows furrowed. "I hadn't thought of that." She let out a heavy sigh. "So what do we do?"

Lexa was quiet and contemplative for a moment. "Perhaps we let history run its course right up until the moment I get shot. We'll go back to your room together and face Titus. I'll tell him the spirit of the Commander has given me a vision of the future, and I know he has a gun concealed up his sleeve that he intends to use to kill you because he feels I will never be able to execute my duty if you're alive. Once he hears this, he will be stunned and convinced that I do, in fact, know what I'm doing and that the the spirit of the Commander is aiding me. Besides, it's entirely true; the Flame - the AI - has given us not just a vision but the actual _experience_ of this future time we're in now. And from everything you've told me, this second wave of destruction and terror upon the earth with the walkers is just a further consequence of mistakes that were made in the past. I think that going back to that moment will give us the best chance of making things right. True, we will not have the opportunity to reclaim the lives of thousands that we saw perish before, but perhaps it will be the best path to save the thousands and more who come after."

Clarke carefully weighed each point Lexa made and slowly nodded her head. "Wow, I think you're right. I really do wish we could change more, but so much would be out of our control and we'd have no way of knowing the ripple effect each adjustment would have."

"Okay, then we're in agreement?"

Clarke smiled. "Yes. We should go back to when I go to your room for the last time. Octavia will have just left and we can reorient ourselves before confronting Titus."

"The blockade will still be in effect. I will have just enacted it."

"Ah, that's right." Clarke chuckled. "I hadn't even seen Pike on the ground yet at that point. Man, getting every detail exact is going to be harder than I thought. He'll have Kane, Lincoln, and Sinclair killed not long after we get back if we don't change something there."

Lexa nodded. "So how will we take him out of power before he has your people killed? We might as well at least come up with a plan for that problem before going back; we won't have much time to think of something when we actually get there."

Clarke was quiet for a moment. "We'll use Octavia. She knows that secret passage to get in and out of Arkadia. Pike had our people bugged to learn the traitors' plans, so we'll give them a story they can feed to Pike that will get him to go outside the walls."

"And what story would that be?"

Clarke stroked her chin for a moment as she thought. "Aha - I've got it! They'll talk about this 'secret plan' the Grounders have of using that poisonous tree sap on Arkadia, where your people will have their arrows laced with the sap, light them on fire, and shoot them into our camp."

"That's actually a rather brilliant idea - if we wanted to seriously maim or kill people."

"And that's why Pike will believe it. He thinks you're all just killers anyway."

"And you're sure he'll join the group that will leave the camp in search of these 'murderous' Grounders?"

"Yes - the stakes are too high with literally everyone's life in danger for him to only delegate the job. He'll be out there."

Lexa nodded. "Then our people will have an ambush waiting when Pike reaches the appointed spot."

"Exactly."

"I think it's crazy enough to work."

Clarke laughed. "I think so too."

Silence fell between them for a moment, then Lexa took Clarke's hand and whispered, "So, are you ready?"

"I... I'm kind of scared, honestly."

"To go back?"

"Yeah. We will know so much that no one else will know, and we won't be able to tell anyone."

Lexa squeezed her hand. "We'll have each other, but no singing any 24th century songs if anyone else is around."

Clarke's head fell back as she laughed. "Oh god, I hadn't even thought about that! Nothing from this life can trickle into that one."

"It can when you're with me," Lexa winked. "I'll need someone to quote movies with."

"This is insane. How are we going to become our old selves again?"

Lexa shrugged. "We'll make it work simply because we have to. I honestly think it will be natural to fall into that life again, surrounded by the people and places we once knew. We will be different, but nothing else will."

Clarke laughed. "Until we change everything!"

"Exactly." Lexa grinned. "But no one else will know that."

Clarke's expression sobered. "What about your family?"

"My family here? The Clarks?"

Clarke nodded.

Lexa took a deep breath. "I've been thinking about them this whole time, and it hurts. I won't ever see them again or be able to tell them how much they mean to me. For all I know they won't even exist anymore. I mean, what happens after the life we're going back to? Will we be born again into this time?"

Clarke shrugged. "I have no idea, Lex. I don't know if we were only born here so that we could go back and fix things. Because if it all works out the way I envision, the zombies - these walkers - they won't ever exist. This future time of course will eventually come, but I don't know if we'll be here since we will have done what we were sent here to do. But on the other hand, maybe reincarnation is a real thing and we'll just keep being born into this world - keep finding each other."

Lexa smiled. "I suppose I really couldn't care less if reincarnation is real or not, but I do like the idea of always having you."

Clarke smiled and put a hand behind Lexa's head to pull her in so their foreheads were touching. "I love you, Lexa."

A grin spread across Lexa's face as she wrapped her arms around Clarke's waist. "I love you too. In this life and the last. Forever."

"Forever," Clarke echoed as she brought her lips to Lexa's.

They remained intertwined for a minute before Lexa finally pulled back. "You know I could stay here like this for hours," she said with one last peck to Clarke's cheek, "but I believe we have somewhere else to be, Miss Griffin. Shall we?" She held out a hand and Clarke quickly took it.

"Do we have to be touching for this to work?" Clarke asked curiously.

Lexa gave her a wry smile. "No, I just want to hold your hand."

Clarke laughed. "Good. So now what?"

Lexa closed her eyes. "The Flame knows our decision. Now all it has to do is wake us up at our checkpoint."

"But where exactly-" Clarke's words were cut short as a whooshing sensation flooded her body. She kept her eyes closed and raised a hand to her head where a pounding ache had suddenly formed.

"If you're not there, you're not the person I thought you were."

Clarke's eyes shot open and she turned toward the once-familiar voice. "Octavia?" There was no response as the other woman stormed out of the room. Clarke gasped as she took in her new - yet old - surroundings. She couldn't help the stunned smile that rose to her lips as she walked around the room. The armchairs, all the candles, the window, her bed... Clarke immediately felt nauseated as she looked at the bed where Lexa's dying body had once been. "And where it will be if we don't change things," she muttered to herself. Clarke suddenly panicked as she wondered where Lexa was and quickly left the room, knowing she would have to leave for Titus to come later and set up his scheme. She smirked as she imagined how that encounter would go down this second time. It took all Clarke's willpower to not cry tears of joy just from seeing these old sights again - walking the highest halls of the Polis tower, seeing the guards nod to her in respect as she passed.

Clarke gasped as she recognized the figure walking toward her. "Aden!"

The boy's head jerked up in surprise. "Clarke. Is there anything I can do for you?"

This darling boy was the epitome of gentility, and Clarke tried to suppress the sheer glee she felt from just seeing him here, content and _alive._ "No, nothing. It's just good to see you. How are you today?"

"Good, thank you. Master Titus actually just ended our training early for the day!"

Clarke's brow arched. "Did he now?" _So he can go secretly murder me, that asshole._ "Lucky for you! Go enjoy it."

Aden smiled and gave a slight bow as he walked past her.

Clarke's anger left just as quickly as it had come when she arrived at Lexa's room. She smiled as she knocked and opened the door. She scanned the room, but Lexa was nowhere to be seen. She walked in further and froze when she beheld the most beautiful being stride around the corner. This was without a doubt the greatest moment of déjà vu she had ever experienced, but Clarke's stomach lurched for a split-second as she feared she was the only one who remembered.

"Clarke," Lexa whispered reverently as she approached her. "We made it."

Clarke let out a long sigh of relief and wrapped her arms around Lexa in a tight embrace. "You remember, right?" She could feel Lexa smile against her cheek.

"Of course, Elyza. I remember everything."

Clarke laughed as she pulled back to look at the woman in front of her. She let her hands run down Lexa's arms. "Hey, all these muscles are back!"

Lexa grinned. "And your hair!"

Clarke laughed even louder as she tugged at one of her random braids. "Oh god, this hair is awful! I need to give it a proper wash and try to get rid of the last of this red."

Lexa chuckled and shook her head. "I like you just the way you are, and I had forgotten how especially fine you look in that jacket." She took Clarke by surprise as she pulled the front of the jacket until their bodies were pressed together and Lexa kissed her fiercely.

Clarke groaned in pleasure as she wove her fingers throughout the brunette's hair. "Bed. Now."

Lexa laughed and took Clarke's bottom lip between her teeth, tugging playfully. "So demanding," she teased.

"When I know what I want, yes. It's been nearly two hundred years since I've been inside you. I want to feel you again."

Lexa felt herself blush. "Well actually, now that we're back here, you could say we're about to for the first time _again_."

"God, only the Alicia/Lexa hybrid would give me semantic crap like that. What a buzzkill."

"Am I really a buzzkill?" Lexa teased as she unbuttoned Clarke's pants and pulled her to the bed.

Clarke's breath hitched. "Maybe not..."

Lexa grinned as she lowered herself to the bed, pulling Clarke on top of her. "So we have an hour, right? Let's make the most of it."


	8. Version Two

_Author's Note: Well, we made it! Here is the final installment of a story that I have really come to love. It started from a place of grief and attempting to fill a void left by our beloved Heda, and now this story finally has come to its conclusion. I will be finishing my Nightblood fic next, which I hope is a fun read with a bit of a different feel from this one, so jump on over there if you enjoy my writing and haven't checked that one out yet. After that I'll finally wrap up my first Clexa story, Alliance, which I haven't updated since season 3 started, so it will be fun to jump back into that since it will take an AU turn now that my ideas will officially take a different path from the canon story. I really love the Lexa and Costia backstory in that one, which I will be adding to and wrapping up hopefully within the next month._

 _I have some ideas brewing for a new Clexa fic, but it likely won't be up here for a while, so stay tuned! Now, without further ado, here is the final chapter that I hope ties everything up in a satisfactory way for you. I would love to hear what you think now that the whole story has come full circle. Enjoy! :)_

* * *

Clarke kissed the infinity tattoo on the back of Lexa's neck as she finished tying her shirt.

"Thank you," Lexa whispered as she turned to give her lover one more kiss on the lips.

Clarke smiled as she rested her forehead against Lexa's. "Ready?"

"Yes. Let's go change history."

The girls exited the room and Lexa startled as she turned to close her door. "Strand?" she asked in surprise to the guard on her right.

The guard looked from Lexa to his fellow guard and back to his Commander. "I am Strandor, Heda, but I am honored for you to recognize me at all. Today is my first day at this post."

Lexa was puzzled, but smiled. "Ah, yes. Strandor. I won't forget that now. Thank you for your service." She gave a quick nod of acknowledgement to both guards and turned back to join Clarke.

Clarke quirked an eyebrow. "What was that all about?" she whispered.

"My guard, Clarke. He is the spitting image of Strand, the man I told you about who was..." Lexa looked around cautiously and lowered her voice. "...Alicia's rich friend with the yacht and the plane."

Clarke stopped short. "You're kidding?"

"No, I swear it! But there was no similar recognition from him." Lexa's brows furrowed. "What could this mean?"

"I don't know." Clarke shook her head though her mind was reeling. "But let's talk about that later. We have other pressing matters to attend to right now."

Lexa chuckled. "Yes, let's go prevent the attempt on your life and the end of mine, shall we?"

Clarke rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Just a day in the life, right?"

"Exactly. If I remember correctly, I was already nearly assassinated once this this morning, correct?"

"That's right. Semet." Clarke cringed as she recalled the man who had captured Octavia and sought vengeance against Skaikru for killing the army of 300 and then attacking his village. Though that all had felt like a lifetime ago - and quite literally was - it had only been that morning back on this timeline. Clarke froze when she saw her door down the hall.

"Hey, it's okay." Lexa brought up a hand to cradle Clarke's cheek.

"Lexa. _Heda._ " Clarke warned quietly as she glanced around.

"I don't care if anyone sees us, Clarke," she stated resolutely. "Do you honestly think I'm going to be coy and secretive about us after all we've been through?" Lexa shook her head. "We won't be separated again, Clarke kom Skaikru. Well, unless circumstance necessitates it from time to time, of course. And since you've become quite the accomplished fighter thanks to the walkers, I won't be _as_ worried about you being able to take care of yourself now that anyone who would want to hurt me will see you as a target as well."

Clarke chuckled. "That's right. I can certainly hold my own now!" Her face fell. "But I'm nervous, Lex. What if we can't change things?"

"Then what would have been the point of all this?" Lexa touched the back of her neck, feeling the scar that was there once again. "The Flame would not have brought us back if we couldn't make life better." She winked. "I'll go first this time."

They approached the room and Clarke saw the stony Commander gaze return to Lexa's eyes as she threw open the doors.

"Heda?" Titus was clearly taken aback at the sight of her.

"Titus." Lexa acknowledged him curtly. She looked over at Murphy in the corner. "Why do you have a member of Skaikru gagged and tied in Clarke's room? Are you the one who beat him up?"

Titus looked between Lexa, Clarke, and Murphy, speechless.

"Speak true, Titus," the Commander continued. "You know I will not tolerate anything less."

"Yes, it was me," he muttered.

"And?" Lexa queried impatiently. "Why have you done this?"

"I... The boy had information of value that he was reluctant to give." Titus was beginning to look desperate. "He had an object with the sacred symbol and refused to tell me truthfully how he acquired it. And he is one of the bandits who has been stealing from your people on your roads!"

"And how do these man's crimes justify you keeping a gun up your sleeve - a weapon we are _forbidden_ to possess?"

Titus's jaw dropped. "Heda, I..."

"Drop the gun, Titus," she spat. "Drop it now and never touch one again."

The weapon fell from his sleeve and clattered to the ground.

"And did you or did you not intend to use that gun to _murder_ Clarke? Because you wrongly believe that my feelings for her will render me incapable of executing my duty as Commander?"

The Flame Keeper was mortified.

"Just nou drein jus daun," Lexa snarled. "Which is an edict you should be grateful for right now. Guards!" Two burly men entered the room. "Take the Fleimkepa and lock him up. I'll figure out what to do with him later."

"Lexa," Titus protested. "I never meant any harm!"

"Yes, you did," she responded bluntly. "And you will never again attempt to harm Clarke. Swear it."

The guards held Titus in front of his Commander. "I swear it," he grunted as he side-eyed Clarke.

"Don't even look at her the wrong way." Lexa drew his gaze again. "Attack her and you attack me, and if it happens again, blood _will_ have blood."

Titus pursed his lips. "How did you know?"

"Know what?"

"That I had the gun."

"The spirit of the Commander revealed it to me, Titus. I had a vision of you trying to kill Clarke."

Titus' eyes looked like they were going to bulge out of his head. "A Commander has never been able to see into the future before. They've felt warning or premonitions, but never something like this."

"I know, but you were about to do something that would have altered the future in a way that was not permissible. Together Clarke and I elevate each other, Titus. Love is _not_ weakness, and that mantra will never be taught again - not as long as I rule." Lexa turned to Clarke and gave a small smile. "Love is the strongest weapon. I know that now, and we have no need to fear it." She looked to the guards. "Take him." They nodded and whisked the Flame Keeper away.

Clarke rushed to Murphy's side and pulled out the gag. He gulped in breaths of air and rubbed his sore wrists once they were free.

"Thanks," he mumbled. "You sure look different. How is it that you always manage to work your way to the top," he glanced to Lexa, "while I'm the one constantly beat up and tied up?"

Clarke chuckled. "More like, how is it that you're able to survive every situation when any other person likely would have already been dead ten times over?"

Murphy shrugged. "We all have our special talents."

"You will be safe here now," Lexa insisted as she crossed the room to join them.

"Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it," Murphy scoffed.

"Murphy..." Clarke warned.

"It's fine, Clarke." Lexa smiled. "Someone like your friend survives by trusting only himself." She turned to Murphy. "You are more than welcome to stay here or you are free to leave whenever you like. You have safe passage here in Polis."

Murphy gave a half-bow from the chair he still sat in. "Thank you, your Highness," he responded, not entirely sure how to address the Commander, and not entirely capable of eliminating the sarcasm from his voice.

Clarke shot him a pointed look and Murphy threw up his hands in submission. "I'm sorry, okay? I haven't exactly had much positive human interaction lately. Forgive me for being a bit cynical." He paused thoughtfully, then looked to Lexa. "If you don't mind, though, I do need to talk to Clarke. And afterward I wouldn't say no to some food and a bath."

Lexa grinned. "That will be no problem. I'll leave you two and arrange for your accommodations, Mr. Murphy." She looked to Clarke. "And I'll go find Octavia before she leaves and inform her of the plan for Arkadia."

Clarke nodded and they exchanged a knowing glance before the brunette left the room. Clarke was already fully aware of everything Murphy was wanting to tell her about the AI that ended the world, but now began the pretense of ignorance.

Clarke turned to her comrade. "Alright, Murphy, what have you got for me?"

* * *

 _*Two days later*_

"Aden, you're late," Lexa huffed as she was sparring with another Nightblood. With Titus locked up she found herself taking over all the Nightblood training, and it was proving to be an exhausting task along with her regular duties. Lexa had already decided she would ask Indra to take over for Titus as the Nightblood instructor after things had been sorted out in Arkadia.

"I'm sorry, Heda," Aden called as he ran up to her. "But I was just with Ambassador Griffin and she sent me with a message for you."

Lexa stepped back to halt the practice and turned her attention to her young novitiate.

"What message?"

"She wanted me to tell you she has information about her friend Alicia that you need to know."

Lexa froze. " _Alicia?_ You're sure she said that name?"

Aden nodded. "Yes, but I don't know who that is. Do you?"

"I just might. Did she say anything else?"

"She asked for you to meet her by the potter's stand in the market when you're free."

Lexa paused for a moment as she tried to decode what this might mean, and all her novitiates' eyes were locked on her.

Aden spoke up again. "If this is something important for you to attend to, Heda, I know the exercises and can lead us through them while you're gone."

An appreciative smile spread across Lexa's face as she nodded to her thoughtful protégé. "I will actually take you up on that offer, Aden. Thank you. You all know I wouldn't leave if this weren't important." Lexa looked up and made eye contact with each of her Natblidas. "Follow Aden's lead, train for an hour, and if I am not back by then, the guards will escort you back to your quarters."

"Yes, Heda," they answered in unison. Lexa turned to the four guards on duty and they nodded their acknowledgement of her command. She then left, and it took all of Lexa's willpower to not sprint to the market to see what Clarke had found.

* * *

Clarke's head snapped up from the pottery she was admiring when she heard her name. "Lexa? I wasn't expecting you so soon!"

The brunette's face fell as she approached. "Should I not have come now?"

Clarke gave a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand. "Now is perfect. I told Aden to have you come as soon as you were free - I just figured you would still be in training."

Lexa smiled at the ground sheepishly. "Aden could see how intrigued I was by your message and he offered to take over the training so I could meet you."

"Well, I'm glad you're here. I have a surprise for you."

"You used my other name - Alicia." Lexa's brow furrowed. "What did you mean?"

"If I told you everything, it wouldn't be a surprise now, would it?" Clarke started walking and motioned for Lexa to follow.

"Clarke!" Lexa groaned. "You can't just drop something like that and not elaborate!"

Clarke turned and walked backwards to face her. "Shhh. Nobody wants to hear a whiny Commander."

Lexa rolled her eyes and quickened her pace to catch up. "You're insufferable. You know that, right?"

Clarke shrugged with a smirk. "Why do I get the feeling you haven't been teased much in your life?"

Lexa laughed. "Maybe not in this one, but Nick certainly gave me plenty of experience. So what exactly are you-" Lexa stopped short when she noticed Clarke's expression. "What is it, Clarke? Are you okay?"

The blonde gave a faint smile. "Yeah, I am. Another wave of déjà vu just hit me."

"What? Like what we felt before?"

"Just standing here on the outskirts of the city reminds me of being here the first time around. By now you were already dead." She choked on the last words. "You were gone and Ontari had killed all the other Nightbloods and taken over. I was running for my life with the Flame and I took one last look over Polis - just like this - and I was devastated. My whole world had completely upended in hours."

Lexa wrapped her arms around Clarke. "But that's not our reality now. I'm here with you. This city and our people are thriving."

Clarke burrowed her face into Lexa's neck. "I know. But that was real at one time too. I'm just glad we're together now."

"Me too." Lexa kissed her forehead. "Now can you give me at least a hint about what we're doing?"

Clarke chuckled. "Keep walking, Commander. We're going to pay a visit to TriKru."

* * *

One hour later the girls had nearly reached their destination.

Lexa looked up at the tall trees surrounding them. "Honestly, I can't go through this forest without thinking of walkers!"

"I know, right? I thought I was going to have a heart attack this morning because I swore I heard one. Turns out it was just the blacksmith snoring in his chair."

Lexa chuckled. "That man can snore like no other!"

Clarke slowed their pace and looked to Lexa. "Okay, we're here." They stepped into a clearing where a village was located.

Lexa smiled. "I've always loved this village. I wish I could spend more time among the TriKru people."

"Your people."

Lexa nodded. "Yes, my people. I want to get to know them better."

"Well, I'm about to introduce you to a few right now."

Lexa arched an eyebrow. "That's why we're here?"

Clarke nodded. "Yes. I have a family here for you to meet." She started moving toward one of the homes.

"Wait, Clarke," Lexa called as she followed after her. "How do you know these people? And what's this all about?"

"Relax, Commander. You'll see." Clarke led the way around the back of the home where a woman was crouched down working in her garden. "Madlyn?"

The woman turned and pulled her blonde hair away from her eyes. "Hello again, Clarke-" She gasped when she noticed Lexa and froze for a moment before dropping to her knees. "Heda, it is an honor to have you at my home." She lifted her gaze from the ground up to her Commander. "How can we be of service to you?"

Lexa was speechless as she stared at the woman, then looked to Clarke who was beaming.

Madlyn looked back and forth between the two visitors, unsure how to respond to the silence. "I will have my son come out to greet you as well." She turned toward the house and called, "Nikoff, come outside!"

After a few seconds a young man with unruly brown hair came out the back door. "What is it, Mother?" he asked, then stopped short when he noticed the girls. He immediately dropped to his knees and bowed. "Welcome, Heda."

Lexa was absolutely flabbergasted now. "Nick?"

"Uh, Nikoff, yes," he responded with uncertainty as he shot a quick glance toward his mother. "But I will answer to either, Heda."

Lexa felt like a rug had been pulled out from under her. She would never have imagined this to be possible, but she was standing before her mother and brother from her other life. Madison and Nick Clark were here, bowing before her as their Commander. This was more than Lexa could comprehend. "Clarke?" she whispered, pleading for an explanation.

Clarke stepped up next to her and smiled. "Lexa, this is your family - the family you were taken from when you were two years old so you could train in Polis with other Nightblood children who were found."

Lexa's hand covered her mouth in shock as she looked back at the villagers.

Nikoff was just as stunned. "Lexa? _Our_ Lexa?" he gasped as he stared at her. His focus quickly shifted back to his mother. "This can't be true. You and father told me my little sister had drowned."

Madlyn nodded. "It was the lie we had to tell you. Nightblood children cannot have ties to their former lives when they are taken to the capital to be trained."

Lexa looked back to Clarke. "You're sure?"

Clarke nodded, then whispered in Lexa's ear. "You recognize them, don't you?"

"Yes, but how did you find them?"

"Titus. I demanded he tell me where he found you, and he didn't dare tell me no. Once you told me you recognized that guard, I realized the rest of them could be here in this world as well. But I was amazed to find your relationships were the same!"

Lexa looked at Clarke in sheer awe, then turned back to the woman and young man - her mother and brother in two lifetimes.

Clarke looked to Madlyn. "Tell her what you told me."

Madlyn cleared her throat and stood up. "My little girl had a birthmark on her right hip that looked like a star."

Lexa's jaw dropped. "Nobody knows that." She shot Clarke a playful look that said, _well, except for you._ Lexa turned her gaze back to her mother - a woman she never really knew in this lifetime, and one she never thought she'd see again from the last. "Madlyn," she began hesitantly, "may I hug you?"

Tears rolled down the woman's cheeks as she nodded and welcomed her long-lost daughter into her open arms. Lexa held her tight for a long moment, then pulled back to look at her. "I'm so sorry you had to give me up."

"Oh, my dear, sweet girl." Madlyn brought a hand to her daughter's cheek. "I would have given anything to be able to raise you, but I am _so_ proud of you and all you have accomplished. You are our Heda, and that is something I could not have given you on my own."

Lexa smiled and turned to Nikoff. "Hey, big brother."

He laughed and threw his arms around her. "I can't believe you're the same little Lexa I would torment when we were kids."

Lexa gasped in feigned offense. "You would dare torment your Commander?"

Nikoff hesitated for a split-second, but recognized the teasing tone. "I'd like to think I was just the first phase of your warrior training."

Lexa laughed. "I'm sure you were!" She was amazed at how similar her mother's and brother's personalities were to the ones she knew before. But then again, she and Clarke hadn't been that much different, so maybe she shouldn't be so surprised. Her heart suddenly leapt as a thought occurred to her. "And my father?"

Madlyn dropped her head. "Your father died many years ago in war."

"I'm so sorry." Lexa had hoped she might get to see the face of her father again.

"Don't be - we made peace with his passing long ago. He was a brave and skilled warrior."

Lexa smiled. "I believe it."

"I am with another man now, though. His name is Trav," Madlyn explained, "and I think you will like him. He and his son Krissik live here with us, but they are trading in another village for the day." Madlyn's eyes lit up. "You and Clarke of course can stay as long as you like and meet them tonight."

"I wish I could, Madlyn... Mother," Lexa added with a smile. "I didn't make arrangements to be gone from Polis long, so I'm afraid I'll have to return soon. Can I come back to see you all tomorrow?"

"Of course! Not that we would deny anything to our Heda," Madlyn said with a smile.

"You don't have to call me that here," Lexa said, shaking her head. "Here I am simply Lexa - your daughter."

Madlyn's smile stretched even further. "Nothing could make me happier than hearing that. Will you come as well, Clarke?" she asked, turning to face her. "I will be forever grateful to you for bringing my daughter back into my life. You are welcome in our home anytime."

Clarke grinned and looked to Lexa as she responded. "I would love to."

"Clarke is my guest in Polis." Lexa explained as she turned to look at the woman she loved. She didn't want to hide what they were anymore, especially not with her newfound family. "Well, truth is," Lexa added as she took Clarke's hand, "she is my partner and I love her."

Madlyn was absolutely beaming now and Nikoff chimed in. "Well, I certainly didn't wake up today thinking Heda and Wanheda were going to suddenly become part of the family."

They all laughed and exchanged hugs as the girls prepared to leave.

"I look forward to seeing you both tomorrow," Lexa commented, "and to meeting Trav and Krissik."

Madlyn gave her daughter's hand one last squeeze before letting it drop. "Come hungry because we will have a feast in celebration."

"We certainly will!" Lexa replied with a grin. She held out her hand to Clarke. "Shall we?"

Clarke brought Lexa's outstretched hand to her lips and gave it a soft kiss. "Let's go."

* * *

The girls were only a mile outside of Polis when Clarke abruptly pulled Lexa off the main road and behind a tree.

"What is it?" Lexa asked in a rushed whisper. Her eyes darted around and she placed a hand on the hilt of her sword.

"No, nothing like that." Clarke chuckled. "I just had an idea. Follow me - it won't take long."

Lexa couldn't help the smile that rose to her lips as she let herself get dragged away. She stared at Clarke when they came to a stop a minute later at the base of a tall tree. "What is this?"

Clarke shot her a playful grin. "We're going up."

"Up?"

"Yes!" the blonde exclaimed as she scanned the tree. "Ah, here we go." Clarke found a solid foothold and quickly ascended the first twenty feet.

Lexa shook her head in amusement and followed after her. "And exactly how far are we going?" she asked as the forest floor fell further and further behind them.

"Right... here," Clarke announced as she came to a stop about fifty feet up and sat on a sturdy branch with her back to the tree. She patted the spot right in front of her and Lexa dropped down to it.

"Clarke..." Lexa began as she fought back a smile. "What's this all about?"

"Just a little spur-of-the-moment fun," the blonde replied with a wink. "For memory's sake."

Lexa laughed. "Memories of frantically climbing the trees in this forest to avoid ravenous zombies that wanted to eat our brains?"

"Exactly!" Clarke inched closer to Lexa. "And memories of our second first kiss."

"Hmm. I might need you to help jog my memory..." The almost-smile tugged even more at Lexa's lips. "It was a long time ago, after all. Or a long time from now?"

Clarke laughed. "Please just stop talking." She placed her hands on Lexa's hips and drew her close until their lips met.

Lexa laced her fingers through Clarke's hair and smiled into the kiss. "Thank you," she whispered when she finally took a breath.

Clarke smiled curiously. "For what?"

"For being you. For loving me. For saving me."

"Saving you?"

"Yes. By opening my eyes." Lexa smiled as she tucked a stray strand of blonde hair behind her lover's ear. "You know, I've learned a lot from living in _two_ different apocalyptic worlds, but I have to say the most important thing I've learned has come from you, Clarke."

Clarke tilted her head in surprise and smiled. "And what is that?"

"Life _is_ about more than just surviving, and there's no one I'd rather spend the rest of mine with."

Clarke grinned and leaned forward. "And maybe even the next life too?"

Lexa pulled her close and Clarke shivered when she felt the whisper against her ear. "I think it's obvious by now that not even death can stop us. We will spend every lifetime together, Clarke Griffin. I love you."

Clarke pressed one long kiss to Lexa's lips, then pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. "And I love you. Forever."


End file.
